It’s official, following an announcement in the Boletín Oficial de Canarias, shops within the historic centre of Arrecife can now open on Sundays and fiesta holidays.
Previously, the capital of Lanzarote has been unable to open 7 days a week, unlike the tourist resorts of Costa Teguise, Puerto del Carmen and Playa Blanca, apart from a special concession in the weeks before Christmas.
The historic centre of Arrecife is now considered a tourist area due to the influx of tourists from visiting cruise ships and has been granted permission for shops to open for extended hours by the Ministry of Commerce for the Government of the Canary Islands.The new opening hours are restricted to stores with a shop floor space exceeding 300 m2.
The original proposal for extended opening hours was submitted on the 15th February 2013, this was subsequently amended to include just the commercials within the Historic Area of Arrecife on the 14th May.
The Casco Histórico includes the cultural interest sites of Castillo San José, Castillo San Gabriel, Iglesia de San Ginés de Clermont, Puente de las Bolas, Casa de los Arroyo and various buildings (6, 12, 23 & 25) in calle Léon y Castillo. The map shown above was included with the ruling and confirms the area considered to be the Historic Centre.
For us it’s a shame to see another bit of the old traditions being lost, we like the fact that it’s not a 24/7 lifestyle here in Lanzarote. What do you think?
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