Early tourism

In 1967, the first two tourist attractions of the coastal area of Puerto del Carmen were launched, Hotel Los Fariones and Hotel San Antonio. These first two hotels were to be witnesses of what may have been the biggest transformation in Lanzarote throughout its history, from an underdeveloped island with thirsty farmers, fishermen and immigrants, to become, in a few decades, a tourist power that attracts almost two million visitors each year. There was rapid demographic development caused by heavy immigration.

To make the “miracle tourism” possible, the island had to overcome the main obstacle that has for centuries influenced the development of its people: the virtual absence of drinking water. For centuries, the sub-desert climate of Lanzarote had produced countless episodes of crisis, famine and mass emigration.

At the beginning of the century, Lanzarote used a large tank filled with water from other islands. At the height of 1960, works to channel the water from Arrecife and Famara to the tank were hardly sufficient to ensure a crude supply for just 36,000 inhabitants, which by then lived on the island.

The solution came in 1965 when the first desalination plant was installed in Lanzarote, Canary Islands. It was brought about by the initiative of brothers Diaz Rijo, and received support from all sectors of the economy. This was one of the first desalination plants on the planet, and allowed Lanzarote to venture into new economic sectors and move away from its secular underdevelopment.