Recent News

9th December 2011 AENA the Spanish airport authority has announced that Fuerteventura has experienced the biggest growth in visitor numbers of all the Canary Islands in 2011. The increase on the previous year is 32.39% and by the end of the year it's expected that 1.9 million will have passed through the island's airport.

3rd December 2011 Escapevillas see another astonishing level of villa reservations and for the first time almost all of the peak holiday weeks for the year ahead have already been reserved in advance of the traditional holiday booking season.

22nd November 2011 Thomas Cook is reported to be approaching its bankers for further massive loans to firm up the company's cash flow. The company have issued profits warning for the past 18 months blaming everything from government cuts to the Arab spring. Their share prices have collapsed.

This is seen as a predictable event and a direct reflection of the significant shift in the way holidays are booked in the 21st century. Escapevillas recommends Easyjet and Ryanair as the airlines of choice.

2nd October 2011 Spain's biggest cut price supermarket Mercadona has the first of its superstores opened just outside the island's capital. One more is opening near the island's airport shortly and a third at the top end of Corralejo town is scheduled for opening on 1st December. This move represents a huge boost to the choice and prices of groceries available to both residents and visitors to the island. It will slash the costs of independent 'self catering' holidays appreciably.

8th July 2011 Escapevillas announce weekly villa rental rates will remain in 2012 at the same low rates as they were the previous year (no increase since 2005 in fact). The policy of 'all year rates' will actively assist those families having to endure the traditional airline additional charges during school holiday weeks.

22nd May 2011 local goverment elections on the island highlight that hotel and holiday complex owners are being squeezed into providing 'more for less' by the big tour operators. What seemed like an attractive idea to local hotel owners last year in going wholescale 'All Inclusive' has led to widespread resentment of this type of holiday contract by the owners themselves and the struggle to provide high standards of service is inevitably showing signs of weakening.

To the families that pay up front for this type of holiday it is of course a good deal particularly with young children to feed. However slipping standards and the quality of food in some complexes brings into question whether the package deal is as attractive as it first appeared to be. More and more families are leaving the hotels for the evening and looking elsewhere for their main meal of the day and who can blame them?

15th February 2011 Widespread unrest in some arab states has boosted late Winter holidays to all of the Canary Islands and taken holiday trade away from those previously popular destinations. Local reports from the 2 main Fuerteventura resorts suggest they were literally 'packed out' in terms of visitor numbers.

27th December 2010 Escapevillas announce record levels of villa reservations for the year ahead. The percentage increase from the previous year's forward bookings is up 20% and demand is unprecedented. Many other owners in Fuerteventura are experiencing the same high levels of reservations in spite of the ongoing recession in the UK and Ireland.

6th August 2010 Thomas Cook and Thomson travel companies (the 2 biggest in UK) announce drastic cut backs in the type and variety of accommodation they organise in Fuerteventura. They now only act as agents for 'All Inclusive' holidays and have restricted themselves to specialising in that market alone.

3rd March 2010 Santander Bank UK research shows that almost half of the total 25 million British holidaymakers (47 %) cut out the middle man in 2009. The average saving on holiday costs was £423 according to the bank researchers.

Booking direct and online was the most popular method of organising these holidays.

Escapevillas predict that this trend will continue into the future leaving package holidays even less attractive in both terms of cost and amenities.