MADRID – Spain’s Tourism Minister Reyes Maroto has sent a message of tranquility to tourists, saying that they can still travel to La Palma to ‘initially enjoy’ the visual ‘show’ produced by the eruption and be part of the volcano tourism.
Her message is addressed to people who will arrive in La Palma in the coming days. And to those who may now doubt whether they should still travel. From Turespaña and the embassies, the government provides all the information so that the volcanic eruption can be “used as a claim for anyone who wants to see this beautiful spectacle of nature with their own eyes, always with the necessary caution”, the minister emphasised in an interview on Canal Sur Radio on Monday.
“It’s something unprecedented to be able to see in the first person,” she continued. Maroto alluded to the volcano tourism exploited and flourishing in other countries such as Iceland and Hawaii.
No tourist restrictions
Maroto: “There are currently no restrictions on coming to the island by plane”. The airport is open and planes are landing and departing. The minister emphasises that tourists are well informed, “so they know that this island is open”. And “that if their hotel is affected, they will be accommodated in another. So they can just enjoy their holidays and take advantage of this event and enjoy nature. Likewise for all tourists who come to La Palma this now and the coming weeks and months.”
High season ahead
The minister also pointed out that the ‘high season’ in the Canary Islands is now about to start. This comes with ‘good news’ as the UK has pledged that those coming to UK territory from countries like Spain will no longer need a negative Covid-19 test once fully vaccinated.
Volcano tourism
When asked whether “volcano tourism” to the island can now be promoted, even more, the minister replied that “we are already seeing it in other countries such as Iceland, where these phenomena occur regularly”, and the island of La Palma “has among its tourist products the volcanic part, and that can be taken advantage of”.
In this regard, Maroto pointed out that the Ministry is speaking “with those responsible for tourism and the President of the Board of La Palma to strengthen this point”, and reiterated that “it is now important to allow tourists who are already on the island and who will arrive in the coming days to give them peace of mind so that they can continue their vacations”. The hotels are open and ‘in full activity’.
