Lanzarote 'fed up' after Spanish island becomes 'saturated' with British tourists and calls for fewer UK holidaymakers
2 February 2023, 21:57
Officials in the popular holiday destination Lanzarote are 'fed up' with the constant influx of tourists to the Spanish island after 2.5 million tourists visited Lanzarote last year - most of which were Brits.
In particular, officials in Lanzarote feel the island has become "saturated" with British tourists, which the island has become increasingly dependent on.
Leaders of the Canary Island are now looking at ways of reducing its dependence on British tourists.
Lanzarote, which has a population of around 150,000, saw 2.5 million tourists last year until November 2022, 17 times its entire population.
Lanzarote's president Dolores Corujo said: "This year, we went to the travel trade fair, FITUR to present the change in the tourism model that we want for Lanzarote, on which we have been working throughout this mandate, despite setbacks and limitations derived from the pandemic."
"There we certified the return to full tourist normality and once again highlighted our firm commitment to sustainability and excellence" she added.
The move will come as a surprise to many Brits, hundreds of thousands of which travel to the sunny Spanish island every year.
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According to the Lanzarote Tourism Information, 45 per cent of the island's visitors in 2019 were British, with the UK market has growing from 807k to 1.4m since 2010.
The move will require authorities in Lanzarote to find other means through which to replace the funds generated from British tourists, should visitor numbers decrease.
On average, British tourists spend €34.94 per day, which is more than the average of German tourists, who spend the least at €27.69 per day, according to 2019 data.
