Lanzarote, the island where tourism most increases the cost of living, according to its inhabitants

The latest ISTAC report places Lanzarote at the forefront of the archipelago in the perception of inflation linked to tourism activity, reaching a regional record of 75.2%.

The intense tourist activity that Lanzarote is experiencing not only generates wealth, but also directly impacts the pockets of its residents. 

This is what citizens declare in the latest Survey of Socioeconomic Habits and Confidence (ECOSOC) published this September by the Canary Islands Institute of Statistics (ISTAC), where Lanzarote is positioned as the island with the highest percentage of residents who attribute the generalized increase in the cost of living to tourism.

Specifically, 75.2% of the Lanzarote population aged 18 and over agree that tourism development increases everyday prices. 

This figure comfortably exceeds the regional average, set at 64%, and places the island at the maximum value in the entire archipelago. 

When analyzing behavior by territory, Fuerteventura is in second place with 74% support for this statement, followed by Tenerife (64.5%) and La Gomera (63.7%). 

In La Palma, it is 65.5%, and in Gran Canaria, 56.2%. Meanwhile, El Hierro has the lowest percentage of the islands with 47.4%.

Economic duality and generational gap

Social perception on the island paints a contradictory picture. On the one hand, Lanzarote society continues to greatly value the role of tourism as an economic engine: 72.8% believe that tourism development has been very beneficial for the island and 78.1% support continuing to promote it.

However, this support coexists with growing concern about the loss of purchasing power and access to essential goods. Along with the inflation of the cost of living, more than 75% of respondents in Lanzarote warn about the impact on the real estate market, indicating that tourism increases the price of housing sales and rentals on the island.

The ISTAC study also shows that the economic consequences of the current model weigh unevenly according to age. 

In the Canary Islands as a whole, people between 18 and 34 years old are particularly critical: 75.7% state that tourism increases the cost of living and 83.5% point to the problem of housing access, compared to a significantly more optimistic view from those over 55 years old.

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