Many Brits have taken statements about the overcrowding of Lanzarote as something very personal. The island government stated that they do not want “more beds or more growth” and that the island wants to direct its strategy to receive fewer tourists, but increase the average expenditure of visitors.
Many Brits have felt directly alluded to and are “furious”, as the Daily Mail newspaper has echoed, under a headline that states that “Lanzarote is fed up with British tourists visiting the island”. They assert that the president of Lanzarote, Dolores Corujo, wants to attract tourists from France, Italy and the Netherlands. This is because of their “higher spend”, but she turns her back on her main market. Meanwhile Lanzarote, in 2019, received 1.3 million travellers from the UK. This was followed at a great distance by the Germans (309,000), Ireland (285,000) or France (115,000).
“How dare she?”
Andrew Edwards, who is spending his holidays in Lanzarote, has described the island president as “rude”. “She is saying that she wants a better class of tourist, how dare she”, he affirms in statements collected by the newspaper. He adds that they are spending heavily in the destination. “If this woman did not want the British to come to Lanzarote, why is the beer so cheap?” he rants.
For their part, retirees Mark and Jackie Farr affirm that they will stop going to the Spanish island if they are not welcome. “If they don’t want us here, we’ll go elsewhere. They need us. What else is here apart from tourism? Nothing!” they point out.
Mallorca also not happy with image
Lanzarote is not the only Spanish island that wants to limit ‘cheap’ tourism. At the World Travel Market (WTM) something similar to the authorities of Lanzarote was propagated by the Mallorcan authorities. This was interpreted as the island not wanting to receive British ‘low-cost’ tourists. Mallorca has also been trying for some years to shake off the image that mainly attracts young Brits. Every summer, they travel to the island to enjoy the cheap nightlife. Tempted to this by the many clubs and happy hours that can be combined with endless days at the beach and cheap all-inclusive hotels.
Related post: The Balearics have failed to curb drunken tourism
