Lanzarote is hoping to diversify its tourism market by attracting visitors from the United States. The island’s External Promotion Department (SPEL) organised a strategy launch event yesterday in the Secrets Lanzarote Hotel in Puerto Calero at which it outlined the advantages of persuading American holidaymakers who might be considering visiting Europe to travel down to the Canaries.
Participants in the session heard first-hand from Spain’s senior tourism official in New York, Magí Castelltort Claramunt, who gave a detailed briefing on the opportunities offered by the US market, not least the high spending power of American tourists.
“It is vital for Lanzarote to make potential tourists there more aware of the island and its biggest assets, such as its year-round good weather, unique scenery and – above all – how safe it is as a destination”, stressed Castelltort Claramunt.
The task is far from simple and key immediate tasks include lobbying to increase flight connections via the Spanish mainland and several European airports as well as engaging in cooperation agreements with American tour operators and raising Lanzarote’s profile on the major sales platforms used to market holidays to US tourists, in addition to other popular platforms such as Booking.com, Tripadvisor and YouTube.
The president of Lanzarote’s governing council (Cabildo), Oswaldo Betancort, who hosted the strategy launch, insisted that the island was committed to increasing diversification by reducing its dependency on its traditional markets and broadening the range of countries of origin of its tourists.
In 2024, Lanzarote received 3.4 million tourists (6.4% up on 2023), with the United Kingdom retaining its position as the most important international market. Over 1.7 million Britons visited the island last year, putting the country well ahead of Ireland (358,694), Germany (349,450) and France (235.883).
