Tourist Numbers Fall In April
The number of tourists visiting Lanzarote continued to fall last month. According to the latest data released by AENA and the Cabildo de Lanzarote. Which indicates that total foreign tourist numbers fell by 6.41% versus April 2008. Whilst overall arrivals for the year to date are now down by nearly 15%.
The usually busy Easter holiday period appeared to provide little in the way of a fillip for the islands tourist industry. As the latest AENA figures reveal that visitor numbers fell to 117,881 arrivals last month from 125,958 arrivals in April 2008. Equating to a percentage drop of 6.41%.
However, this figure would be much higher if compared with March 2008, which is when Easter fell last year. As that was the islands busiest month, with 169,065 tourists enjoying a holiday in Lanzarote. A difference of well over 50,000 arrivals against the latest April figures.
So far this year total foreign tourist numbers have fallen to 491,718 arrivals from 578,338 arrivals during the same period last year. A decline of 14.98%, or equivalent to 86,620 less tourists on the island.
The UK, Lanzarote´s largest tourist market, accounts for over half of these missing visitors. As British arrivals have fallen by 16.14% during the first four months of this year –or 47,409 less tourists. Thanks to the weak state of the pound against the euro and the debilitating effect of the credit crunch on both consumer confidence and spending in the UK.
Germany, Lanzarote´s second most important market, has seen a decline in visitor numbers of 13.84% for the year to date. Whilst the Irish market has also contracted by 8.92% across the same period.
Falling visitor numbers have also been recorded across all other markets. With Norway down 4.24%, Sweden down 22.89%, Holland down 18.26%, Denmark down 11.85%, Finland down 16.50% and Belgium down 18.65%.
Inevitably, falling tourist arrivals have had a serious knock on effect on many sectors of Lanzarote´s economy. For example, last year ISTAC estimated that every tourist spends €36.53 per day whilst on holiday on the island.
Whilst occupancy levels in Lanzarote hotels and apartments have also fallen according to ASOLAN, the islands hoteliers association. Who have recorded a cumulative fall for the year to date of 11.26%. Whilst occupancy levels fell from 69.02% in April 2008 to 61.25% last month.
English On Canarian Curriculum
The Minister for Education in the Canarian Government announced yesterday that by 2011 a quarter of all subjects taught in Canarian schools will be conducted in the English language.
The Director General of Innovation and Planning in Education, Victoria González, made the announcement whilst presenting a package of measures relating to foreign language teaching.
The scheme will be piloted during the next three years across 60 education centres in the Canary Islands, where some 4,512 students are currently studying.
To begin with, instruction will be in English because ‘it is the most widely spoken foreign language’ and is regarded as the ‘lingua franca’ of the world, according to González. In time, it is hoped that subjects will also be taught in French if there is an appropriate demand.
Although no direct mention was made of the potential uses this bi-lingual instruction could be put to, it will clearly help future workers in the tourist industry to have a good grasp of the language, as English-speaking tourists still comprise the largest individual group of visitors to the Canaries. Between 2003 and 2007, the number of visitors from the UK reached a high of 4,060,434 and fell back to 3,475,772 by 2007.
Not to mention the large number of English speaking expatriates who already live and work on the islands and who may have children attending local schools.
The latest figures that show how many British people have moved to one of the islands were collated in and relate to immigration in 2007, when 4,098 people from the UK took up residency on one of the seven islands. On Lanzarote, a total of 5,909 UK citizens are officially registered as residing here, the largest ex-patriot group on the island, closely followed by 5,175 Colombians.
