All inclusive breaks now account for over one in five of every holiday taken on Lanzarote. According to data just released by the island government. Which reveals that all inclusives now comprise 22% of the total tourism market. A figure which has risen 6% in the last four years and which is sure to set teeth gnashing amongst the local bar and restaurant community.

All inclusives tend to offer a great deal for the punter – but very little if anything for local businesses. The bulk of the money is spent on booking the holiday in the country of origin – so the major tour operators are happy. But this does little to spread money around here. As these guests have no need to venture beyond the pool bar and hotel dining room.

Times are hard for ancillary businesses such as bars and restaurants. The number of non-Spanish tourists has dropped by nearly 200,000 arrivals so far this year. And when you factor in the fact that each tourist on average spends €36.53 per day it doesn’t take a degree in maths to calculate that millions of Euros have been sucked out of the local economy. All inclusives are doing little to help this situation – but local tourist authorities are highly unlikely to rock the boat by putting pressure on tour operators to cut back on this type of deal.