LANZAROTE’S president has insisted Brits “are and will always be welcome” after she appeared to demand fewer British holidaymakers visit this summer.
Maria Dolores Corujo previously said that the destination in the Canary Islands was seeking to limit tourists, including those from Britain.
GettyMaria Dolores Corujo said that Lanzarote’s tourism capacity has reached its limits[/caption]
She said it would be necessary to adopt “a diversification strategy to reduce dependence on the British market.”
However, she has now rowed back on those claims after being rattled by the reaction to her suggestion.
Earlier this month she faced further criticism after heaping praise on Germans and saying the German market adapted to its intentions of having “higher-quality” holidaymakers.
The island president clarified her remarks, saying the island’s tourist capacity had reached its limit and it had to prioritise a “rational and lasting development based on quality.”
But, in an open letter printed in island newspaper La Voz de Lanzarote, she wrote: “It’s categorically false that in Lanzarote we do not want British tourism or that we want to reduce the numbers of British tourists.
“I will say it once and for all. British tourism has always, is and will always be welcome on the island of Lanzarote.
“In Lanzarote we are also lucky to have an excellent long-time resident British community, a community that is sensitive to the environment and involved in caring for and defending sustainable development for our island.
“We share our island character with the British and that makes the existence of limits in an insular, fragile and small territory like ours very well understood.”
She then said that the backlash her comments sparked was part of a “false controversy fuelled by misinformation”.
She added. “Some have taken it out of context and others have misrepresented the assessment I made about the future of the tourism sector on the island.”
Mrs Corujo was asked about her comments again while at the Berlin Tourism Fair, seeking “new markets” for tourists.
She replied: “All tourist destinations attend fairs to show their attractions and capture new markets to diversify the tourism they receive.
“Lanzarote has also been doing it for years because common sense and the basic laws of the economy advise us not to depend on a single country, especially in times of uncertainty such as those we are experiencing derived from the war in Ukraine.
“But that does not mean that we do not want those who visit us the most, British tourists, quite the opposite.”
Hotel chiefs in Lanzarote have argued that it was unwise to complain about tourist saturation.
Francisco Martinez, vice-president of Lanzarote’s Island Association of Hotels and Apartments, said political leaders were opening an unnecessary debate and being “badly-advised”.
And last week it emerged Jet2 boss Steve Heapy had written to Mrs Corujo asking her to explain what she said and clarify whether or not she wanted British tourists coming to the island.
Lanzarote’s opposition leader Astrid Perez also waded into the debate at the weekend, saying Mrs Corujo had been “irresponsible” but added: “I don’t expect the British to boycott Lanzarote just because of the irresponsible comments of a politician whose words don’t represent islanders’ feelings.”
Lanzarote has an annual influx of 1.3million British holidaymakers who contributed £2.1billion to its annual tourist income last year, according to the Lanzarote Data Centre.
Around half of all the tourists who visit the island are Brits.
British expats make up five per cent of Lanzarote’s 130,000 population.
Irish-born Geraldine McFadden, who co-owns a number of bars and restaurants on the island, told the Sun at the weekend: “The English and the Irish bring us our bread and butter.
“They’re the ones ordering beers from nine o’clock in the morning.”
Friends Lucy Almond and Finlay Murray, both 19, from Merseyside, were recently on the island with their families.
Finlay told The Sun: “If you don’t want to rely on the British there’s no way you’d make any money.”
Meanwhile, visiting Europe will be more expensive from next year as new visa waiver rules come into force.
And Brits have been warned to “act now” to get their passports renewed in time for their holidays.
AlamyBusiness owners are worried about how the comments will affect tourism numbers[/caption] Read More