Lanzarote expects weekly direct flights from the UK this winter to surpass 2019 levels as the island emerges from the pandemic.
According to Lanzarote’s hotel organisation, ASOLAN, 85% of the island’s hotels are currently open and every site is expected to reopen by the middle of next month.
Speaking during a destination presentation, Arminda Delgado, the island’s representative in Britain and Ireland, said: “International travel restrictions are currently relaxed and there’s increasing demand for popular destinations in Lanzarote. Routes are resuming.”
Around 67,000 Britons – including 45,000 in August – have travelled to Lanzarote this year.
Delgado added: “The number of passengers to Lanzarote is increasing and we expect the number to go back to what we had in 2019.
“We know that numbers are lower than previous years, but we expect the number to come back very soon.”
During winter 2019, there were 123 weekly direct flights from the UK to Lanzarote, but tourism chiefs expect there to be 164 flights this winter. Last winter, there were 108 weekly direct flights.
This week, Jet2 confirmed that it will offer more than 190 weekly flights to the Canaries – including Lanzarote – from 10 UK airports in October.
Wizz Air is to offer flights from Doncaster Sheffield airport to Lanzarote ahead of October half-term.
Tourism chiefs are also planning a new strategy to encourage travellers to choose more immersive experiences on the island.
Paula Munoz, chief marketing officer, Turismo de Lanzarote, said: “The pandemic has been challenging, not just in terms of health, which is the most important.
“This period of time has given us a chance to reconsider how we project Lanzarote as a destination. Before the pandemic, we can see how people from the UK were motivated to go to the island because of the weather.
“If we look at other motivations, we can other concepts like gastronomy were in the lower part of the list.”