Here are four tourists who are currently spending their holidays in the south of Gran Canaria. They talk about wearing masks, social distancing, travelling in airplanes and going through airports, using shops and enjoying restaurants. All of the interviews were done on July 21 2020. (At the bottom of this article you'll find useful links to more information.)

In English, at Puerto Rico:

In English, at Amadores Beach:

In German, at Maspalomas:

In Dutch, at Puerto de Mogán:

 

Here is more handy information regarding the rules and regulations:

• Should I Come On Holiday To Gran Canaria?
• Gran Canaria Holidays 2020: Masks, Social Distancing And The New Normal

That was a great move and we're really happy to have you on board!

We have resetted this form on october 26, 2020. Places had opened up, and closed down again. So a fresh start was needed to be able to offer you accurate information.

 A question that pops up a lot of times per day is "I can get some flights to Gran Canaria, however, is this and this restaurant/hotel open now?". After a complete shut down of tourism in Gran Canaria thanks to the Corona virus Covid-19, this whole situation in the south of Gran Canaria is new and confusing. Places do want to open up, but without a certain amount of tourists this means losing money. Tourists do want to come, but they don't want to be in a place where no restaurant or hotel is open. Let's make it easier for both parties to find each other.

Our goal is to provide a "live" list with businesses on Gran Canaria that are open. Especially in the south. In Las Palmas more businesses are open, as they depend a lot less on tourism.

But we can't do this on our own, we need your help! 

Do you know a hotel, or an apartment complex, a restaurant, or a bar that is open in the south of Gran Canaria?

First, check if your place is already on the list. If it's not, please let us know by filling out this simple form.

The form to add a business:

 

Open this form in a new window.

The results:

 

Open the results in a new window.

Thank you very much!

A (small) earth quake of 3.6 degrees magnitude and with its epicentre in the sea at the east coast of the island, 18 kilometers deep has been felt, very slightly, all over the island at 8.18 am this morning. Nothing serious happened, no one got hurt.

More information: https://www.ign.es/web/ign/portal/ultimos-terremotos/-/ultimos-terremotos/getDetails?evid=es2020kjeyf&zona=1

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With businesses now reopening across Gran Canaria, new ways of working are set to improve customer experience. The island's estate agencies are leading the way. 

More than masks and gloves

The post-Coronavirus world may seem like an endless series of queues and a constant routine of masks, gloves and hydroalcohol gel but much more is happening behind the scenes. The need to guarantee safety and reduce unecessary procedures means that Gran Canaria businesses are rethinking the way things are done.

Less paperwork, more digital support

For example, in real estate the number of physical bits of paper needed for property transactions has dropped fast. Digital signatures mean buyers and sellers don't have to visit as many offices and can even buy or sell from abroad. The property registry and other government departments now offer more online services and legaly valid digital documents.  

The virtual visit or 3D tour is now a standard feature of all quality estate agencies in Gran Canaria and allow buyers to view properties from home and visit only the ones they want to see in real life. 

With more of the process of buying and selling property moving online and going digital, it is ever more important to choose a quality estate agency to guide you through the process.

People first, thanks to the technology

Ramón Sánchez Bruhn, Marketing & Productivity Manager at leading south Gran Canaria estate agency Cárdenas Real Estate, told us that "the real estate business is all about service and trust and this means people must meet and talk openly. If this isn't possible physically, we have the technology to help us; shared documents, walk through visits in real time, live video calls, all these things allow us to be open with our clients". 

As Gran Canaria estate agent Laura Leyshon confirmed, "it's not just about the technology, its about using it to talk and share opinions. I can walk buyers through properties and answer their questions in real time and that really helps me to understand their needs". 

Tourism restarts on July 1st in Gran Canaria, the Canary Islands and Spain although we don't have many details about how it will all work. Here's what we know about travel and tourism in Gran Canaria during the rest of 2020 and beyond.

Spain's borders are currently sealed to everyone who isn't Spanish, an official resident of Spain, or one of a small number of workers from key industries such as aviation, healthcare and transportation. The border closure is in place until June 30th. 

The EU's borders are sealed to all non-EU citizens and and many EU countries are restricting international travel for most of 2020.

Travel within the Canary Islands in 2020

Travel between the Canary Islands is now allowed without any restrictions and some hotels and apartments are reopening during June. More will reopen during July. 

Travel from Spain to Gran Canaria in 2020

The Canary Islands president and several other government sources have stated that the islands hope to welcome Spanish tourists during the summer of 2020. This will depend on the Coronavirus case levels on the islands remaining low, and on declining levels in the rest of Spain. The two main airports in Spain, Madrid and Barcelona, are in zones that have suffered most from Covid-19.

However, the Spanish authorities now regard the epidemic to be under control and national tourism will restart on June 15.

International travel to Gran Canaria in 2020

Everyone in the Canary Islands has endured a long and strict lockdown and the islands now have one of the lowest levels of Coronavirus in Europe. The virus is no longer in community transmission according to local health authorities. This is positive for island residents and for the future of tourism here although many locals worry that tourists will bring Covid-19 back. 

The Canary Islands will open to tourism with the rest of Spain on July 1st. However, the working assumption in the Canary Islands is that there will be few international tourists visiting the Canary Islands in the summer of 2020. Setting up tracking apps and travel protocols will take time and even if a vaccine or effective treatment emerges it will not be manufactured fast enough to save the summer.

At best, the Islands could get 20-30% of the normal number of tourists in the last months of 2020 with number picking up at the start of the winter season in October 2020.

Travel from the UK to Gran Canaria in 2020

The situation with Great Britain is complicated because the country still has a higher number of virus cases than Spain. We are waiting for news about how the islands plan to adress this. They may insist on people getting a test before they travel. 

The ongoing Brexit process also makes the future of travel between the UK and the Canary Islands more complex. If the EU keeps it external borders closed, British tourists would not be allowed to fly to the Canary Islands after the UK leaves the EU. 

 

[edit 10:35: the fire is now under control] A bus went up in flames this morning, between Los Castillos and El Llanete, near Teror / Firgas and started a fire that so far is still burning.

Alex and Lex from Gran Canaria Info know that a website about an island such as Gran Canaria is all about communication, not just one sided "informing". That's why we created Gran Canaria Info presence on the major social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and Youtube. Please see if you find something you'd like to join or follow:

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