Lanzarote´s Main Resort Undergoes Redevelopment

Lanzarote´s leading holiday resort is about to undergo a radical redevelopment.
As island authorities press ahead with plans to reinvent tourism in Puerto del Carmen. The engine room of both the Lanzarote property market and the island´s holiday industry, which accounts for around 90% of Lanzarote´s GDP. Encompassing the creation of a new luxury marina which some observers believe could transform the resort into the Puerto Banus of the Canary Islands.

Puerto del Carmen has been welcoming tourists since the 1970´s. When the town was just a small fishing village called La Tiñosa. And now the resort is about to undergo another major metamorphosis – as island authorities have given the green light to a multi million euro project which is designed to improve the tourist offering and maintain the resorts competitiveness for years to come.

In many ways Puerto del Carmen as become a victim of its own success – as thirty years as a popular destination have taken their toll on both facilities and infrastructure. Leaving the resort looking tired and outdated – especially by comparison with newer, purpose built alternatives such as Dubai.

Nowhere is this deterioration more apparent than on the main Avenida de Las Playas – the 6km long beachfront strip that runs from one end of the resort to the other. Town planners gave little thought to just how popular the resort would become when it was first developed back in the 1970´s – creating very narrow stretches of pavement and allowing two lanes of traffic to dominate. To the detriment of pedestrians.

Now, island authorities plan to redress this imbalance by part pedestrianising the Avenida de las Playas. And also aim to improve the resort’s aesthetic appeal by imposing new uniform shop fronts and fascias on the many units lining the strip. So creating a more pleasing and contemporary public image.

Perhaps the most ambitious aspect of the new project though are the plans to transform the Old Town Harbour area – the point where tourism first took off in Puerto del Carmen – into a new luxury marina. With jetties and plenty of berths of luxury yachts and cruisers.

The planners aim here is to emulate the success of the nearby marina at Puerto Calero. Which has proved highly successful in attracting more monied tourists, upmarket shops and restaurants and where property now commands a serious premium.

In Puerto del Carmen by comparison apartments in and around the Old Town Harbour area are still available for as little as €80,000. But with work on the new marina expected to be completed by May 2009 and with tourist numbers holding steady many local observers believe that the value of property in the area can only rise – despite the current economic climate.

Further evidence of the rejuvenation of the resort can be found just on the outskirts of town. Where a new golf course, only the second on the island, is about to open its doors in early 2009. So further improving the leisure options on offer in Puerto del Carmen and providing an additional attraction for a more affluent type of tourist.

Ultimately, local tourist authorities also plan to impose more stringent requirements on apartments and hotels in Puerto del Carmen. In a drive to ensure that all accommodation in the area is of a four star and above minimum standard.