Canary Islands need 'higher quality' German tourists instead of Brits, president of Lanzarote says
12 March 2023, 17:15
German tourists are 'higher quality' and spend more money than their British counterparts, the president of Lanzarote has claimed.
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María Dolores Corujo told an audience in Berlin that the Canary Islands must try to move away from "mass tourism" in favour of "higher quality tourism and holidaymakers who spend more".
She told trade conference the ITB travel fair: "It’s essential to work on the diversification of the sector and the growth of markets like the German market, which adapt to our intentions of aiming at higher-quality tourism [and] move us away from mass tourism."
Lanzarote must instead focus on "sustainability and excellence" in its tourist sector, Ms Corujo added.
Her striking comments came a month after she said Lanzarote had become "saturated" by an excess of tourists, including Brits.
The tiny Canary Island typically receives around 17 times the number of tourists as its resident population.
More than half of the island's visitors come from the UK alone, she said.
According to Lanzarote Tourism Information, 45 per cent of the island's visitors in 2019 were British, with annual UK visitors growing from 807,000 to 1.4 million since 2010.
The board also found in 2019 that Brits spend €34.94 per day, more than Germans' €27.69 per day.
Germans make up around 14 per cent of the island's visitors.
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