Lanzarote floods prompt holiday cancellations amid emergency response

Lanzarote, one of the Canary Islands off the coast of West Africa, has experienced torrential rainfall, with areas like Tahíche recording over 100 litres per square metre in just two hours. This deluge resulted in widespread infrastructure damage, including flooded hotels and power outages in key tourist zones such as Costa Teguise and Arrecife. At least 2,000 tourists have been relocated to alternative accommodations due to the extensive damage.

Major UK tour operators, including TUI and Jet2holidays, responded by cancelling bookings at affected hotels. TUI offered affected customers full refunds or the option to rebook with added incentives. Jet2holidays also re-accommodated guests at alternative hotels, ensuring continued support for those impacted. ​

The Canary Islands government has initiated damage assessments and is considering declaring the area a disaster zone to facilitate aid and recovery efforts. Authorities are also reviewing emergency response protocols to enhance future preparedness. 

This comes just weeks after the Aegean islands of Mykonos and Paros suffered flash floods due to heavy ‎rainfall.