Irish tourists in Spain: GET OUT BY THURSDAY !

Tánaiste calls on Irish tourists in Spain - who want to fly home - to do so by midnight Thursday

The Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Simon Coveney, has today held talks with his Spanish counterpart as well as the Chief Executives of Ryanair and Aer Lingus.

Following the talks Simon Coveney TD said, “I understand the deep concern about returning home from mainland Spain or the Canary and Balearic Islands in the coming days. We have been working closely with our colleagues in the Spanish government and have an orderly plan in place with Ryanair and Aer Lingus supported by the Spanish government.”

"My Spanish Foreign Affairs and Transport counterparts have assured me that Spanish airports remain open and the country is not bringing about a flight ban. They further assure me that Spanish airspace remains open for Irish airlines to bring citizens home. I reaffirmed Ireland’s solidarity with Spain at this difficult time and thanked their frontline authorities for dealing with this unprecedented challenge.”

The Tánaiste also held a conference call with senior management from Ryanair and Aer Lingus as well as senior officials from the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and Ireland’s Embassy in Madrid.

The Tánaiste said, “Following my discussions with Ryanair and Aer Lingus I am calling on all Irish tourists who wish to return from Spain to do so by midnight this coming Thursday March 19th. Both airlines are allocating bigger planes to the routes in order to accommodate passengers and both airlines have waved booking and seat fees for anyone who wants to change a booking from a later flight to one in the coming days.”

Key points

• The Spanish government has assured Ireland that airports and airspace remain open

• Irish airports and airspace remains open

• Both Ryanair and Aer Lingus have been in contact with customers via email and social media channels on how to book

• Customers should book or make changes to existing bookings directly with them

• We continue to advise Irish citizens to avoid all non-essential travel to Spain

• Spanish airports are asking passengers to travel to the airport in small groups and at their allotted time

• Do not travel to a Spanish airport unless you have a booking

• Anyone returning from Spain should follow HSE advice

• We look forward to resuming the close links between Ireland and Spain in the coming weeks

• Department of Foreign Affairs travel advice and contact information is available at https://www.dfa.ie/travel/travel-advice/coronavirus/

SEE PREVIOUS POST: SPAIN LOCKS DOWN...

Alphorn under palm trees

The Sunday music session at the bus station bar in La Calera, Valle Gran Rey had the addition of a very unusual instrument yesterday when an alphorn was blown. The Alpine instrument which sounded a bit like a trombone reverberated very well through the steep mountains of La Gomera and turned a good few heads. Imagine arriving with an alphorn as your hand luggage at the Ryanair desk...

British prime minister also holidaying in Canaries

Image: elmundo.es

The British prime minister and his wife are also spending their Easter holidays in the Canary Islands. David Cameron arrived on Lanzarote by scheduled Ryanair flight last week and his wife Samantha arrived later to join him. In the in¡mage above she's enjoying a cortado, a small coffee with a dash of hot milk, the typical Canarian coffee.

The Canaries are having a bumper Easter season with many hotels and apartments completely booked out and a host of celebrities visiting.

Ryanair magazine features La Gomera

The Ryanair magazine 'Let's Go' ran an article entitled 'Secret Island Escapes' which featured La Gomera recently. I'll quote:

''Battling for beach space need not be an obligatory part of your summer holidays. A bounty of blissfully untouched isles exist throughout the Ryanair network, where the sands are footprint-free, there is never a wait for a seaside table, and a friendly islander is always happy to show you around.

LA GOMERA, SPAIN

Formed by the circular Garajonay volcano, La Gomera has gone under-explored by the millions who holiday on the Canaries each year. Dense jungle crowds the inner valleys, while sweeps of desert and palm-dotted beaches make up its outer rim, meaning plenty to draw the curious visitor over from Tenerife, 50km west. And while the untouched beauty may entice, what sets this island apart is a unique cultural quirk. Silbo Gomero - one of the world's last whistling languages - was introduced here by the Berbers, and over the centuries was adapted by island shepherds who use it to communicate across La Gomera's steep ravines. Make the Hotel Jardín Tecina (doubles from €120, www.jardin-tecina.com), in the island's seaside capital, San Sebastián de la Gomera, your base, and set off by car to the island's isolated inner villages to hear the lingo first-hand. Have the locals teach you some phrases for a life-lasting souvenir.''

Even if the piece isn't exactly very well researched and probably connected with advertising the hotel mentioned, it does however help to promote La Gomera.The article also featured the islands of Ponza and Favignana (Italy), Kithira (Greece), Koster (Sweden), Muhu (Estonia), Verte (France), Vis (Croatia), and Arran (Scotland).