Lanzarote, despite being the fourth largest of the Canary Islands, is only 36 miles long and 13 miles wide at its greatest. Tourism has been king here for fifty years now and is the island`s major source of income.The Canary Islands including Lanzarote is where timeshare was born in Europe. Many Scandinavians and Germans took their annual holiday in Lanzarote taking advantage of the timeshare concept to purchase holiday homes here.Lanzarote attracts over 5 million visitors a year nearly half the total visitors to all the Canary Islands altogether.So, why do so many people want to holiday in Lanzarote?
First of all Lanzarote has an all year round season because of its southerly latitude and its proximity to Africa. With an average Summer temperature of around 82 F and an average Winter temperature of 70 F it has been described as the island of permanent springtime. Lanzarote is only a four hour flight from the UK. The only other places to get Winter sunshine are all long haul and therefore more expensive. The cooling North East trade winds ensure there are no severe extremes of temperature in the height of Summer as can afffect mainland Spain and the Eastern Mediterranean.
Accomodation on the island suits all budgets. Lanzarote is therefore readily affordable for everyone. You can stay in 5 star hotels overlooking the Atlantic in Playa Blanca for example or hire a luxury private villa anywhere on the island.There are also many self catering complexes with communal pools. Cheap package holidays have been available for a long time now. The advent of the internet has seen a rise in the numbers booking independent holidays.
Lanzarote`s unique volcanic landscape is another factor in its popularity.The Canary Islands were formed approximately 30 million years ago when the Atlantic Ocean was being opened up as the African and American plates seperated.. The area is referred to as the Canary Hotspot by geologists and is still actively volcanic. As recently as 1730-1736 and to a lesser extent in 1824 the island was subject to volcanic eruptions with almost a third of the island covered in viscous lava. Rich fertile agricultural land was covered several metres deep in lava which then cooled to form the badlands or malpais you can see in the Timanfaya National Park. Ironically the fertile lands that were destroyed, along with 13 villages including Timanfaya, are now the most visited tourist attraction on Lanzarote.
Lanzarote`s unique landscape was utilised to the full by Cesar Manrique the famous Spanish artist who was a native of the island. He was concerned that Lanzarote would not be over developed as some of the other Canary Islands were. Together with the Lanzarote Cabildo or government he developed natural attributes of the island into tourist attractions to generate income for the island and also to help preserve the natural environment.
Examples of his works can be seen all over the island probably the most famous being the Monumento El Campesino which is located near to the Manrique foundation whcih was his original work place and home. The sculpture was an epitaph and tribute to the natives of Lanzarote who eeked out an existence from the harsh windswept and arid landscape. There are seven main tourist attractions with Manrique`s stamp. They are all unique and all worth a visit.
They include Mirador del Rio, a converted fort looking out over the high cliffs of Los Riscos to the neighbouring desert island of Graciosa.The National Park of Timanfaya also includes a restaurant designed by Manrique which sits on the point where the last volcanic eruptions in 1824 occurred.Here you can eat roasted chicken or grilled steaks which have been cooked over the heat generated from under the ground. temperatures reach 600c just 10 feet below the ground!
Another reason for the popularity of Lanzarote is its attraction for outdoor pursuits enthusiasts. The north west of the island at Famara is a very popular destination for surfers. The Atlantic swell and strong currents here ensure a minimum swell of four to five feet.Many professional clubs and athletes use Lanzarote as a Winter training base. There is a purpose built sports resort at La Santa which includes football and rugby pitches. swimming pools, athletics tracks, gymnasia and professional coaching for a multitude of sports. Major surfing and kite surfing championships are held here on Lanzarote and its neighbouring island , Fuerteventura.
Lanzarote is also the home of the famous Ironman competition which attracts visitors from all over the world.As well as surfing and kite surfing another increasingly popular activity is hang gliding using the height of the cliffs at Los Riscos and the warm thermal winds that prevail here. being an island , water sports are very popular, Scuba diving , sailing and windsurfing are popular pastimes. The Spanish government and the local Cabildo have been instrumental in developing the island even more to attract visitors. New marinas at Puerto Calero, Playa Blanca and Puerto del Carmen have all been developed in the last 5 years. The global credit crunch has affected visitor numbers to Lanzarote in the last few years but the trend has now been bucked and visitor numbers are now decreasing less and showing signs of increasing. All in all Lanzarote is an ideal holiday destination with great weather, great and unique scenery and something for everyone.
