In 2024, Lanzarote baked in early heat, with the hottest January and April ever recorded. Tourist records also tumbled on a monthly basis as the island saw more visitors than ever before. However, the island also began to creak and feel the pressure, as questions were asked about the benefits of mass tourism.
And it lived up to expectations, with unprecedented tourism figures and more than enough of the heat and sunshine that brings those tourists here. Those issues also brought challenges, as the island suffered water cuts, transport problems and an increasingly acute housing crisis.
We take a look at some of the main stories from the year, and the issues that affect the island.
JANUARY
The year started with reports of tourists breaking local rules by venturing into lava fields, climbing protected volcanoes and bathing in the pool at Jameos del Agua, while worries increased about the safety of places such as Las Grietas, a little-known canyon which rapidly became a popular attraction.
Social media is partly to blame, as well as a tendency for tourists to be more independent, but the effects of tourism would remain high on the agenda all year long.
FEBRUARY
Playa Blanca harbour opened its big new terminal building in February, while residents of Güime mobilised against rumours that a migrant processing centre would be located near the village.
The problem of accommodating newly-arrived migrants dominated the news all year, causing a national political rupture between the PP and Vox parties when the latter refused to support the distribution of migrants to mainland Spain.
MARCH
A horrific accident saw a five-month-old baby die and six adult tourists injured when a car hit a group of people in Playa Blanca. The driver, a young British resident, was found to be under the influence of drink and drugs.
Yaiza ordered two days of official mourning. So far, the case has still not been brought to trial.
APRIL
Around 9,000 people marched through Arrecife in the first major protest against the effects of mass tourism. Demonstrators called for a tourist tax, a moratorium on hotels and a new model of tourism.
Tourism has variously been blamed for the lack of housing, water cuts and damage to the environment, although the protests were directed at the authorities rather than tourists themselves.
While the regional government claims the law will help alleviate the acute housing crisis, critics have alleged that it is more about protecting the powerful hotel lobby by removing competition.
MAY
Lanzarote launched its new logo at Jameos del Agua this month. The coolly geometric logo will be used alongside César Manrique’s famous sun and will be accompanied by the slogan “Lanzarote – The Different Island”.
The Monumento del Campesino, one of Manrique’s largest sculptures, was removed for repairs after being damaged in high winds. At the time of writing, it is still absent.
JUNE
Two Lanzarote teams, UD Lanzarote and Union Sur Yaiza, went into the play-offs for promotion to the Segunda RFEF league. In the end, it was Yaiza who grabbed the coveted promotion spot, and the southern team are currently playing league football at national level for the first time in their history.
JULY
The discovery of Jay Slater’s body in Tenerife in July highlighted just how hostile the Canarian landscape can be for the unprepared. Despite frenzied press speculation and social media rumours, it turned out that the lad had tragically fallen and died.
Lanzarote thoroughly enjoyed the Euros 24 final between England and Spain, and there were plenty of local fireworks and cars tooting their horns when Spain finally won the tournament that made stars of young Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams.
Long-term British expats were finally able to vote in a UK general election this month, but whether they had any effect on Labour’s landslide win is debatable.
AUGUST
Long queues at César Manrique’s arrivals zone caused questions in Spanish parliament. The queues were caused by the introduction of a passport stamping regime for third country visitors, including UK tourists.
Agents at the airport complained that they had long been understaffed and that senior officials had attempted to deceive an EU inspection, leading to the stamping order.
Stamping was supposed to end with the introduction of the EES scheme in November, but this has been delayed indefinitely across the EU.
In Playa Blanca, locals welcomed the news that two new supermarkets – a Lidl and an Aldi, would open around Christmas – increasing choice in the resort.
SEPTEMBER
It was announced that a statue of Kenneth Gasque, the man who turned Lanzarote into a premier sporting destination, would be placed in Puerto del Carmen in summer 2025. Kenneth has also lent his name to a new foundation that will support young athletes on the island.
A 59-year-old British tourist died of heatstroke while attempting to walk to Papagayo’s beaches, emphasising the importance of an issue that had caused the death of TV doctor Michael Mosley in Greece earlier in the summer.
OCTOBER
Lanzarote beat all existing tourist records in a month when a further round of protests against mass tourism were called, this time in Puerto del Carmen.
The demo was not as well-attended as the April march, and was followed by a counterdemonstration under the name “Lanzarote Loves Tourism”.
Lanzarote’s water crisis continued as rural areas and towns suffered constant water cuts while the resorts were spared.
NOVEMBER
Lanzarote rallied behind the flood-stricken region of Valencia after storms caused the death of 224 people.
The island sent a contingent of firemen and emergency workers to help with the clear-up process, and donations of food, clothes and hygiene products piled up at centres all over the island before being shipped to Valencia.
Teguise held its annual Saborea Lanzarote food fair this month, the most successful edition yet of an event that is becoming an increasingly popular tourist favourite.
DECEMBER
Tourist figures continued to break all records, meaning that December was one of the busiest times the island has ever experienced. In addition to the airport arrivals, cruise passengers to Arrecife also reached highestever levels.
The year ended with Spanish viewers of Telecinco channel watching the New Year being welcomed at the Castillo de San José in Arrecife.
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