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On Yer Bike! Sports Tourism Up 50%

March 14, 2018

Think there are more cyclists on Lanzarote’s roads than ever before? Well you’d be right, as sports tourism continues to grow in popularity on the island, according to a report just released by ISTAC, the Canarian Institute of Statistics. Which reveals that this sector of the holiday market has grown by nearly 50% since 2006 alone.

Last year 166,745 people visited Lanzarote ‘for sporting motives’, according to the ISTAC report – which means that sports tourism now accounts for a whopping 9% of all arrivals on the island.

This figure has risen from 111,667 passengers in 2006 and whilst Lanzarote has enjoyed an increase in tourist numbers generally over that same period sports tourism is growing at a much faster rate – which means we could all be squeezed off the roads by cyclists by say the Year 2025!

Joking apart though, why is this so good for the island? Well for one thing the report goes on to reveal that sports tourists spend more money when they are here on Lanzarote than your everyday holiday maker, by an average of six euros per day – a fact that is well worth remembering when you next find yourself driving at a slow crawl behind yet another pack of luridly dressed cyclists, whilst they are also much less likely to book a break at one of the island’s dreaded all-inclusive resorts than regular visitors.

Sports tourism also helps to generate publicity for Lanzarote, as hardly a week goes by without the arrival of a British rugby squad, football team or cycling club being hailed in their local media. Many of whom are headed for Club La Santa, the sports complex located in the north of the island which which has undergone some seriously expensive refurbishment over the last year. And which now bills itself as ‘The No1 Sports and Active Holiday Resort in the World’. Further evidence, should any be needed, of the growing popularity of sports breaks on Lanzarote.

Certainly the local tourist authorities have been working hard to sell Lanzarote as more than just a bucket and spade beach destination. And this strategy is certainly finding favour with the British market, as the UK accounts for 33% of all sports tourist arrivals on Lanzarote, followed by Germany with 21% and Spain with 9%.

And whilst triathletes arguably enjoy a higher profile both on our roads and via events such as Iron Man the importance of nautical tourism should not be underestimated, as a quarter of all sports visitors were destined for one of the island’s beautiful marinas, such as Puerto Calero or the Marina Rubicon, here in Playa Blanca.

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