Property professionals in Lanzarote are basking in the news that tourism is on the up on this popular holiday island once more, thanks to an upsurge in arrivals from key markets such as the UK and Eire. With many local agents, such as Sonia Vargas of Optima Estates, expecting this to drive demand for good quality holiday homes in key resorts on the island such as Playa Blanca and Puerto del Carmen.
During October (the most recent month for which data is available) tourist arrivals on Lanzarote soared by 17.2% versus 2012 figures, according to Frontur and now look set to break the 2.2 million visitor mark for the first time in many years. With the British market in particular fuelling the upturn.
During October alone arrivals from the UK climbed by 17.5%, as 95,932 British holidaymakers took a break on Lanzarote. Whilst other key markets such as Eire, Spain, Germany and Italy all recorded positive growth figures too. The island has now welcomed nearly 1.8 million visitors during the first ten months of 2013 (an increase of 5.34% on 2012) with around 45% of these tourists originating from the UK.
“Lanzarote has enjoyed a real surge in independent tourism over the last few years”, according to local agent Sonia Vargas; “thanks largely to the much greater availability of cheap flights to the island from key destinations such as the UK with low cost carriers such as Ryanair. Recent political developments in Middle Eastern countries such as Egypt and Tunisia have also benefited our tourist industry enormously. As the upheavals there have effectively redirected many winter sun seekers away from these hot spots to Lanzarote and the other Canary Islands. Given the increasing strength of sterling versus the euro and the lack of other investment options available we are confident that this growth in arrivals will translate into more property sales for local agents over the coming year. ”
