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With Spain one of the first countries to welcome Brits back after the Covid-19 lockdown, Madeleine Barber travels to Gran Canaria to see what tourism looks like on the Canary Island now
The familiar thud of the aeroplane’s wheels making contact with the runway is even more welcome than it has been previously as I sit in my window seat feeling eager to set foot in my destination: Gran Canaria. It’s just days since the Foreign Office lifted its ban against all but essential travel to Spain for the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic, and this is the first press trip to the Canary Islands since the UK’s four-month lockdown, hosted in conjunction with the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO).
As of 26 July, the UK government reinstated the ban against travel to Spain but has excluded the Canary Islands from this, with travellers still able to visit but required to self-isolate for two weeks on return to the UK.
Spain’s first case of Covid-19 was recorded in the Canary Islands on 30 January, but this doesn’t mean the destination is the worst hit in the country by a long shot. Between the eight islands there have been 2,483 cases, which amounts to 0.12% of the Canary Islands’ population and, when compared to the UK’s 295,726 cases (0.44% of the population), the stats show the archipelago has managed the spread very effectively. This is backed up by the fact the destination has reported just 162 deaths from Covid-19.
“Of course one life taken is one too many, but we have a very well equipped public health service and, compared to other places, we can’t complain about our stats,” says Angel Victor Torres, president of the Canary Islands, at the press conference I’m attending during my first evening on Gran Canaria.
He reveals that there’s a plan in place to inject a “massive” fund into the Canary Island’s tourism sector, which is welcome news considering tourism is responsible for 35% of GDP and 40% of employment.
With air capacity in July down 30% on the same month last year and the International Air Transport Association estimating recovery of global air transport won’t be complete until at least 2023, the Canary Islands are expecting tourist arrivals to reach just 60% of what they were in 2019 by December.
Last year, Gran Canaria received 4,267,385 tourists, 18% of which were from the UK, many drawn by the destination’s year-round warm climate of 18-25 degrees Celsius.
While the impacts of the coronavirus crisis on tourism in Gran Canaria initially look pretty bleak, there are silver linings. During my visit to the 400 hectares of sand dunes, lagoon and palm grove that make up the Maspalomas nature reserve on the south coast of the island I chat with Juana Rosa Aleman, who works in the marketing department at the Gran Canaria tourist board.
“The pandemic has of course had a negative effect on the island, but lockdown meant there weren’t any tourists or locals walking on the sand dunes, and the plants and animals that live here have recovered,” she says, adding that there are now “four guards working here daily to ensure the dunes continue to recover.”
Speaking to one member of this new patrol, I discover the environment here has restored itself to the same state it was in 50 years ago. Walking along the promenade at Maspalomas, it’s possible to take in the iconic sand dunes and keep a distance from other visitors in adherence with current social distancing measures in Gran Canaria.
As it stands, the Canary Islands is one of only two regions in Spain where protective face masks don’t need to be worn in public at all times – the rule is that citizens and visitors must wear a mask if in a public space where it’s not possible to stay two metres apart from others – but locals are expecting an imminent law change to match the rest of the country.
While some activities do require clients to wear masks, such as visiting the Christopher Columbus Museum in Las Palmas’ picturesque old town of Vegueta or exploring the Cueva Pintada archaeological site in Galdar, there are plenty of alternative options where tourists can keep their faces free of protective gear and maintain a safe distance from others.
Hiking in the Roque Nublo rural park in the volcanic island’s interior is one such highlight. I take part in a 5km walk to the iconic Roque Nublo and Tejeda Caldera and I’m surrounded by nothing but the sound of cicadas, pine trees and postcard-worthy vistas.
“Ask a lot of tourists if Gran Canaria is beautiful and they will say ‘no’ because they just get their transfer from the airport to their hotel for the beach,” says my guide Julia as we reach the top of an incline that reveals a panorama of a magnificent caldera and the village of Tejeda (considered one of the prettiest in Spain), plus an uninterrupted view to Mount Teide on the neighbouring island of Tenerife. It’s true that visitors not venturing into the centre of the island don’t see Gran Canaria’s true potential, so at this moment, I make it my mission to tell every tourist I meet who comes and stays on the coast what they’re missing out on.
Similarly, many visitors will choose to stay in the south of the island, which is known for its beaches and even-more-reliable weather, but the northern side of Gran Canaria bears many riches and is home to coffee plantations and wine cellars that are sure to appeal to foodies.
Upon arrival at the 200-year-old family-run Finca La Laja wine cellar and coffee plantation in Agaete Valley I’m greeted with an elbow tap from enthusiastic owner Victor Lugo, who Aleman says “has a heart with legs”; a popular saying in Spain to describe someone who is warm and friendly. Here, clients can embark on a wine, cheese and coffee jam tasting for just €8, and with the sun-kissed farmland all outdoors, Covid-19 measures consist solely of social distancing and frequent hand sanitising.
The Bandama region is famous for its vineyards, and its Bodega de San Juan is another wine cellar worth adding to a Gran Canaria itinerary. Carob trees line the driveway that leads up to the main property, where the family that has run this farm since the beginning of the 20th century adopts a no-pesticide approach to growing grapes, instead planting roses to keep the insects away from the fruit.
It’s at Bodega de San Juan that the Gran Canaria tourist board and UNWTO have chosen to host the press trip’s farewell dinner, complete with traditional live music, twinkling fairy lights and fine-dining dishes. Thinking back over my first post-lockdown travel experience I notice everything and nothing has changed when it comes to travel, and I remember something poignant Zurab Pololikashvili, secretary general of the UNWTO, said at the press conference: “We said ‘stay at home, travel tomorrow’. We stayed at home and now it is tomorrow, we are travelling.”
To find out more, read How Gran Canaria has restarted its tourism industry and watch Top 6 Covid-safe activities in Gran Canaria.
ACCOMMODATION UPDATES
Accommodation providers in the Canary Islands are gradually reopening, with 49% expecting to be open by the first half of August and 51% still unsure of when they will welcome guests again. The hotels and resorts that are open have varying Covid-19 prevention measures. Hotel Santa Catalina is setting a good example of this, with temperature checks on arrival, hand sanitiser gel readily available in all public areas, TV remote controls in wipe-clean casing, non-essential items removed from rooms (such as local information packs) and pool sun loungers being cleaned after every use. The hotel also advises staying two metres apart from other guests and wearing protective gloves in public areas. Masks are encouraged throughout the property, but only mandatory at the breakfast buffet.
