Canary Islands reopen to tourists - offering sun, sea, sand and safety

First tourists will arrive in July as holiday hotspots, beaches, hotels and restaurants embrace new social distancing rules

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They’ve picked apart the holiday experience, lingering on moments such as breakfast buffets, poolside lounging and golf tee times. As officials in Spain’s Canary Islands gear up to receive tourists as early as July, every aspect of travel is being recast against the backdrop of Covid-19.

“We call it a global laboratory for safe tourism,” Cristina del Río Fresen of the region’s tourism ministry told the Observer. “We’re analysing every link in the chain – everything that has anything to do with the tourist experience, we want to make it safe from a health perspective.”