Just off the west coast of Africa sits a small cluster of Islands, known as the Canaries. The most eastern of these islands is Lanzarote. Lanzarote is a small island with a turbulent volcanic history which these days, thanks to its consistently warm climate, is a favorite holiday destination all year round.

With the world facing an economic down turn, even more especially in European countries, you could be forgiven for thinking that 2011 would not have been a great year for the travel and tourism industry and that destinations such as Lanzarote would suffer as a result. However, this could not be further from the truth.

Lanzarote has, to date, enjoyed a very successful year with visitor numbers and occupancy rates all up on 2010. So if there is less money to spend, why is this? It could be down to a number of reasons.

Firstly, people do value their holidays. They work hard for the most part of the year and a relaxing break in the sun is the opportunity to forget their troubles and wind down. With economic pressures back at home the holiday gives people a chance to forget about their troubles for a week (or fortnight) to rest the mind and body before returning to the rat race.

With unrest in places like Egypt the Canary Islands have been seen as an alternative location with similar climate. Places like Lanzarote and Egypt share a few similarities in that they are both highly thought of by the scuba diving communities. So maybe this is one of the reasons why visitor numbers are up on Lanzarote?

Lanzarote also has a very strange appeal to some people - many of whom can't quite put their finger on what it is about the island but it makes them want to go back time after time. It's a special place in the eyes of many. Repeat visits will certainly help visitor numbers!

Over the last 12 months Lanzarote has become more accessible as airlines have put on new or additional flights - from both existing and new departure locations. This means that new visitors from different parts of Europe have been able to get to Lanzarote easily - again another reason as to why visitor numbers have increased on 2012.

And then there is the weather. Lanzarote enjoyed an amazing start to 2011 with record highs recorded in January for the time of year. This unfortunately was followed by some horrific rains and flooding which caused problems for both locals and holiday-makers alike, but over the course of the year the weather has been its usual kind self. With the absence of yet another decent summer in the U.K. Lanzarote proved to be a reliable destination for those seeking to top up their tan.

There is no doubt that 2011 has been a good year for Lanzarote but the island wont sit on its laurels and will be hoping that 2012 will provide even more.