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Where have all the tourists gone?

Blogs & Photos

27/06/2008Where have all the tourists gone?

Jeanne Quigley ponders the question of where all the tourists have gone to in Fuerteventura, and tell us why we should all hurry back.

Visiting the mysterious Villa Winter

Eighteen months ago, Ryanair began flying from Dublin to Fuerteventura.

Since then, there are three flights arriving here every week. These flights are packed full, winter and summer. Yet, when you’re walking around Corralejo the amount of Irish accents you’ll hear are few and far between.

After all, if the guts of 1,000 people are landing on the island every week, some of them must be on this part of the island. Or so you’d think.

And this also begs the question – where are they all finding the accommodation? I know that quite a few people have bought properties out here, either in Corralejo or in Caleta de Fuste. So unless everyone on the planes knows someone who knows someone who has an apartment or villa – which seems highly unlikely – it must be through the internet.

But on the other hand, there are loads of places available all the time for holiday rentals. There are To Let signs everywhere, long term, short term, even by the day!

Wherever they are, the Irish tourists form a very small part of the overall visitors here. We only make up something like 7 percent, with the main tourists coming from the UK and Germany.

Of course, there are chartered flights as well, bringing visitors to the apartment complexes on a flight/accommodation deal. And this goes for visitors from other countries as well. But it seems this type of visitor is becoming scarcer.

While tourists are arriving here, there is a problem in that they are staying in the ‘all-inclusives’. The hotels that offer a package of full or half board and accommodation.

So money is not spent in the businesses in towns. If you’ve paid for all your meals in advance, most people will avail of this and never venture outside to a café or restaurant.

And presumably it’s handier to have a few drinks in the hotel bar, rather than wandering out. So local businesses that rely on tourists for income are not seeing tourists in sufficient numbers to keep afloat. Apparently, this type of holiday arose from holidays in countries where it wasn’t safe to go off-complex.

There is also the fact that flights to Fuerte are more expensive than to the other islands. A quick Ryanair check on a July return flight from Dublin to Fuerte is EUR 467, including taxes.

On the same day, you can fly to Tenerife return for EUR 274, a difference of EUR 152. A week’s sun holiday – flight and apartment – in July is EUR 469 here but just EUR 299 to Tenerife. And finally, a flight only with a travel company costs EUR 299 to here but EUR 199 to Tenerife. Ryanair is introducing flights from the UK here shortly but perhaps the stg/EUR rate is not helping either.

But of course, if you book well in advance, you can get great deals. If you want a bit of sun before Christmas, you can get a return flight for EUR 120, including taxes.

The recently formed Corralejo Business Association is trying to do something about some of the problems. Although only in its infancy, the association is trying to get all the local businesses together to work with the council to improve the local economy. And hopefully to promote the island in the UK.

When you do get here (and I have been asked to clarify exactly where here is – Fuerteventura is one of the Canary Islands), this has to be one of the best places to visit.

We have the most fabulous beaches and for anyone interested in surfing, this island is called the ‘Hawaii of the Atlantic’. The food is great, the craic in the bars is terrific, and the weather is wonderful. Come and visit and see for yourself.

Jeanne Quigley is Expatica Spain's blogger from Fuerte. Her fortnightly blogs will be published on alternate Fridays.