Monday, July 02, 2007
Tenerife's New World Heritage Site & other news
Undoubtedly, the news of the week, month, year ... millennium maybe for Tenerife is that the Parque Nacional del Teide (Teide National Park) was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO this week.
UNESCO quite rightly say, "The visual impact of the site is all the greater due to atmospheric conditions that create constantly changing textures and tones in the landscape and a ?sea of clouds' that forms a visually impressive backdrop to the mountain."
The international recognition is important, I believe and let's hope it will help do away with the myth that Tenerife is just one big resort.
Of course, the pronouncement was celebrated with a huge party on Thursday, a performance from Los Sabandeños and lots of fireworks.
The Teide National Park includes the 3,718 meter high volcano Pico del Teide (7,000 meters above the ocean floor and the third-largest volcano in the world), as well as the surrounding cañadas (canyon). It recieves 3.5 million visitors per year already, but if you haven't been up to see it's amazing lunar landscape yet, take this declaration as one more "stamp of approval" that assures you that it will be well worth your while doing so.
This makes three Natural World Heritage Sites in Spain, along with the Doñana National Park in Andalusia and the Garajonay National Park on La Gomera, also here in the Canary Islands. Tenerife already had a Cultural World Heritage Site: the town of San Cristóbal de La Laguna.
But before we take it all too seriously, Charlie's comments in the Canarias Bruta Podcast this week made me smile. He wondered aloud that, if Teide now belongs to everybody / the world, where could he sell his bit of it.
"Can I put it up on eBay?", he asked. :)
(Incidentally, if you're learning Spanish and have an interest in the Canary Islands, their weekly podcast is worth a listen. Whether to be "thoroughly modern", international, or to take the piss really doesn't matter, but they throw in enough English phrases to give you a clue you can follow.)
No Smoking in the Mountains
Yes, we know that if you're coming from the UK, you aren't allowed to smoke in public anywhere now, but while we're on the subject of mountains, we're reminded that the months of July, August and September are the ones with the highest risk of forest fires.
Although there were less than previous years, there were 123 fires in the Canary Islands archipelago last year, 33 of them in Tenerife.
Dozens of volunteers, as well as the all the normal services are on alert during the season, but you can't beat a bit of prevention and that is something we can all play our part in. Advice from Civil Protection services includes; not throwing cigarette ends or lighted matches on the road, avoid smoking in the mountains and camp only in authorized areas, amongst others.
Giving up smoking? Head for the Spa
On the other hand, if you've decided to kick the evil weed, as the Guardian suggest, you'll need somewhere to spend your ciggie savings and, they point out that, "At the Mare Nostrum Spa in sunny Tenerife smokers are welcomed with open arms. From now on they can roll up any time they like for a three or seven-day 'Stop Smoking' package in the sun."
The Mare Nostrum Resort and Spa is perfectly situated only 15 minutes from Reina Sofia International airport and beside the fine white sands and lapping clear blue waters of Playa del Camison Beach. The hotels Julio Cesar Palace, Mediterranean Palace, Sir Anthony, Cleopatra Palace and Marco Antonio Palace form the charming Mare Nostrum Resort.
Book your detox now via Alpharooms ...
Keane Pull Out of Aquaviva Canarias Festival
The other big news of the week is British band, Keane, pulled out of the Aquaviva Canarias festival that's been going on in Los Cristianos this weekend, less than 24 hours before they were due to perform. Their website cites "logistical difficulties." Of course, we don't get the whole story, but you'd have thought they would have known about those earlier.
Arona town hall and the promoters, La Luciérnaga Producciones, were apparently offering full refunds to people who no longer wished to attend, despite the other 19 or so acts going ahead. Apparently, some fans had come from the Spanish mainland.
The idea of the annual Aquaviva is to promote the protection of the oceans. Star quest speaker this year was Alexandra Cousteau, niece of the mythical Jacques Cousteau, whose plea is "Don't eat any more prawns, please!" Oh, we know she's right, of course, but the cynic in me still has a nasty suspicion that Spain will report a record number of langostines eaten at Christmas!
An Inconvenient Canarian Truth
Both of those events overshadowed the visit of Al Gore to the archipelago. Well, I read about some fuss over him changing hotels - much to the chagrin of the one that was left with lots of suddenly empty suites. The conference was described, more or less, by Canarias Bruta as being (the message of) "An Inconvenient Truth", made topical for the Canary Islands. Which is great, but it really should have been a very important event to take most seriously, but I get the impression that hardly anyone is really taking any notice.
Maybe they will when climate change threatens golf course profitability?
Yet, climate change, owing to the actions of man is an unquestionable reality that will have grave consequences for the Canary Islands. Emilio Cuevas, director of the Observatorio de Izaña, on Tenerife's mount Teide warns that the simple increase in the temperature of the Atlantic increases the probability of the islands suffering more tropical storms - like Delta - and will mean more calimas (Saharan Air Layer) and heatwaves.
Tourists spending more money
Good News: A report from the Tenerife Tourism Authority on the winter season, which ran from October 2006 until April this year, demonstrated that the island's visitors are coming from higher income brackets and that this is having repercussions in an increase in spending and a preference for more expensive accommodation. Of course this is the sector that the authorities are marketing to, but if this is a trend then days may be numbered for the plethora of British bars selling English Breakfasts and Sunday Roasts.
Where do Canarians spend their holidays?
While we all think of the Canary Islands as a place to come to for holidays, one tends to forget that the archipelago's 2 million residents probably like to do something entirely different in their own time off.
Top of the list this year, according to this report, are Eurodisney in Paris, the Disney parks in the United States and Madrid, where there is a Warner Brothers' Theme Park.
Please, don't anyone suggest that we need a theme park in Tenerife!
