The Canary Islands Government Ministry of Tourism, Industry and Commerce have been working very hard to try to keep potential visitors well informed and are now intensifying communication across all their channels, starting with their main HelloCanaryIslands.com website, to update the information on the entry into force of the new decree, as of Thursday December 10, that will regulate access to the destination for international travellers using either an antigen test or PCR test result. 

Following yesterdays publication in the Official Gazette of the Canary Islands (BOC) the new regional rules on traveling to the islands is now a little easier for international tourists, as it establishes that all non-resident international travellers in Spain may undergo sanitary control at entry to the region’s airports and seaports, to regulate entry safely using more accessible and economically feasible systems.

 


As of last night the public company Promotur Turismo de Canarias updated the contents of their main website, Hola Islas Canarias, specifically the section dedicated to COVID-19 information, and added new content in the frequently asked questions (faq) so that both travellers and accommodation establishments, can understand first-hand, and with accurate information, how the new decree affects them. The content is in Spanish, English, French, Italian, Swedish, Dutch, Polish and Russian, and other languages ​​such as German will be added shortly.

Likewise, the declaration form, required by the Ministry of Health of the Canary Islands Government, is also being translated into several languages, a form that every traveller must present upon entry to the islands.

Social network pages of the Canary Islands brand are responding to doubts and queries from citizens who need to know in more detail the scope of the regulation.

Additionally, a specific communication will be sent to the international media to echo this progress, which will allow the entry of travellers from outside Spain with antigen tests.

As on previous occasions, the information will also be sent to four of the largest hotel employers associations (ASOLAN, ASOFUER, ASHOTEL and FEHT) as well as to the managers of the Tourism Boards of the seven Island Cabildos, their promotion societies, the Chambers of Commerce of Gran Canaria and Tenerife, and business confederations.

In accordance with the new regulation signed by the President of the Canary Islands Government, Ángel Víctor Torres, health control consists of submitting a responsible statement, undergoing a symptom control to verify the absence of fever and presenting a negative result of a diagnostic test for active infection, a PCR (COVID-19 RT-PCR) or a rapid antigen test for the detection of SARS-Cov-2 with a specificity of more than 97% and a sensitivity of more than 80%, according to the corresponding standardisations from the country of the European Union or the European Economic Area from which the traveller is arriving.

Thus, as of today, negative results from an antigen detection test will be accepted for entry to the Canary Islands. A quick inexpensive test that, with results possible within 15 minutes), through a respiratory sample, allowing for the detection of infected travellers.

As an exception, tourists who are going to stay in tourist establishments may indicate this in their responsible declaration (a form that will soon be made available) and they may present the negative certificate from their diagnostic test for active infection at their accommodation, under Decree Law 17/2020, of October 29.

Although it is advisable to take the test before travelling (the decree allows the traveler to take the test in the 72 hours prior to arrival), it also makes it possible to do it within the following 72 hours; or even to be confined for 14 days if need be.

In Canary Islands we work hard every day so you can visit us in optimal conditions of safety, hygiene and quality. Ours is one of the lowest epidemiological indices in Europe and the lowest in Spain.

Most hotels have now opened their doors or will do so very soon, along with the main tourist attractions, shops and restaurants.

If you are coming on holiday to the Canary Islands in the near future, the following information is relevant to you. If you are visiting for another reason, please consult the Decree 87/2020 dated December 9.