from Lanzarote Guidebook

The number of tourists visiting the holiday island of Lanzarote fell dramatically again last month. According to new figures from AENA, the Spanish airport operators. With Lanzarote recording the largest percentage decline in arrivals of any of the seven Canary Islands.

The AENA figures reveal that nearly 35,000 fewer tourists enjoyed a holiday on the eastern most Canary Island of Lanzarote last month, in relation to March 2008. And whilst this can be partly explained by the fact that the busy Easter period fell in March last year that cannot obscure the negative overall trend for the first quarter of 2009. With total tourist arrivals falling away by 17.36% during the first three months of the year.

The UK, traditionally Lanzarote´s most important market, has been the hardest hit. Thanks to the double whammy of a weakened pound and the negative impact of the credit crunch.

Last year over 820,000 British tourist enjoyed a holiday in Lanzarote. But this figure is set to be much lower in 2009 – as arrivals from the UK have fallen by 19.31% across the last three months, according to AENA. As British consumers opt to holiday at home or outside of the euro zone.

Double digit decreases have also been recorded in all of Lanzarote´s other key markets. Germany - the island´s second largest source of tourists - sent 13.95% fewer visitors during the first three months of this year. Whilst arrivals from Eire – Lanzarote´s third largest market – fell by 10.87% across the same period.

Lanzarote´s heavy dependence on British tourism goes some way to explaining why the island has been the worst hit of all of the Canaries. Recording a greater percentage decline in arrivals than Gran Canaria, where visitor numbers fell by ´just´ 11.55%, La Palma - down 12.9%, Tenerife – minus 16.19% and Fuerteventura – down 16.28%.

Lanzarote´s economy is also more dependent on tourism than the larger islands of Gran Canaria or Tenerife. Which means that falling tourist numbers are having a greater effect and are impacting upon virtually all sectors of the economy.

Hotel occupancy levels fell by over 10% last month, according to the local hoteliers association ASOLAN. Whilst the many overseas owners of holiday rental property on the island are finding more holes in their booking calendars than in previous years.

Should this first quarter performance be transposed across the rest of 2009 Lanzarote will be welcoming less than 1.2 million visitors. The island’s worst performance in over thirteen years.

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