The internet has totally transformed the way in which we book our breaks abroad. As little as a decade ago tourists would simply pop into their local travel agents and pick a flight and accommodation package off the peg, staying usually in a hotel or apartment complex under the aegis of a major tour operator brand.
Today all of that has changed – replaced by a DIY online ethic that now allows holidaymakers to tailor their own break, selecting the type of accommodation that best suits them along with low cost airline travel, usually via an aggregator such as Skyscanner which allows the consumer to effectively take control of their own travel plans.
This revolution has in turn created a boom in the self-catering sector, as tourists turn their back on the rather bland and uniform offerings of the hotel chains in favour of the more homely and individual attractions of a private holiday villa in resorts such as Playa Blanca.
Now the sheer size and scale of this sea change can be fully revealed – as for the first time last year low cost airlines such as Ryanair and easyJet carried over 50% of the 2m plus tourists who visited Lanzarote, according to data just released by the Cabildo, the island government.
During the course of 2013 53.8% of all visitors landing at Arrecife airport booked with one of these budget airlines, with British and Spanish tourists proving to be the most frequent flyers.
And there can be little doubt that these carriers have helped to fuel a tourist boom on the island in recent years, as evidenced by the latest arrivals figures, which reveal that Lanzarote enjoyed a 21% surge during February versus 2013. A major uplift that out performs the other Canary Islands too, with Fuerteventura, Tenerife and Gran Canaria recording increases of 12.5%, 6.43% and 5.2% respectively, whilst the median average for the archipelago as a whole during February stands at just 9.4%.
So where are all of these tourists staying? Well, despite the fact that the local authorities continue to largely act as if self-catering holidays had yet to be invented only 31.5% of tourists now opt for the once traditional and near universal all inclusive option and only 54% now stay in a hotel. With the remainder now booking their break in either an apartment complex or privately owned holiday villa.
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