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UD Las Palmas made a glorious comeback to the First Division in a thrilling encounter against Deportivo Alavés that kept fans on the edge of their seats until the final whistle. In front of a raucous near-capacity-crowd of 31,790, Las Palmas sealed their return ticket to the top flight with a hard-fought goalless draw in the season’s photo finish.
What an interesting last weekend of May ahead. Weather predictions are showing some rain showers are likely across Gran Canaria. This extended #WeekendTips covers up to Tuesday, when all things Canarian are celebrated on the Día de Canarias. There’ll be some gorgeous Patron Saints’ festivities happening in San Fernando de Maspalomas as well as in Valleseco.
Fun Fact:
Valleseco literally means “dry valley” in Spanish, but is actually one of the wettest municipalities Gran Canaria. Nestling between the famous fresh water sources of Firgas & Teror, half way up the island’s mountainous northern slopes, this area is well known for its apple growers, cider and its weekly market
The authorities on Gran Canaria have been engaged in a rigorous search for Swedish tourist Anna-Karin Bengtsson, who went missing in the south of Gran Canaria around April 9. Her unexplained disappearance has caused her family much distress, with no clues to her whereabouts having emerged in the six weeks since they first realised her phone was no longer functioning.
An exciting May weekend ahead with abundant events and festivities taking place all around Gran Canaria. There are Patron Saints’ festivities for Motor Grande, in Puerto Rico de Gran Canaria, and in El Tablero in the municipality of San Bartolomé de Tirajana and up in the mountains of Artenara. There is also a two day lively exhibition event in Meloneras boulevard and the Rally Gran Canaria is held this Friday and Saturday.
The body of a 58-year-old German man was found this Friday floating just off the coast of Mogán, on the south-west of Gran Canaria.
#WeCrossMountains
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The Cabildo de Gran Canaria this month launched the new residents travel card or ‘Bono Residente Canario’ Available to all residents through an online form at a cost of 40 euros per monthly and valid for unlimited use on Globalbus and Municipal Guaguas. Applications can be submitted through the website of the global operator www.guaguasglobal.com or the Municipal Guaguas site at www.guaguas.com.
Gran Canaria Cabildo Councilor for Transport and Mobility, Juan Francisco Trujillo, said in a statement that “the Single Transport Authority of Gran Canaria system for submitting applications has been implemented in a very short time to speed up the implementation of the bono on the island. ” All residents of the Canary Islands can apply for the voucher, and they can use the service of both transport companies without limits for a monthly fee.
The Cabildo de Gran Canaria, in coordination with the Single Transport Authority of Gran Canaria (AUTGC), launched the new transport voucher to offer the population living in the Canary Islands a monthly flat rate of €40, for unlimited access to public transport on both GLOBAL and Municipal Bus services.
The ” BONO RESIDENTE CANARIO ” is for personal and non-transferable use, with annual expiration, and a duration of 30 calendar days it is rechargeable from the first use, it can be requested through the GLOBAL and Municipal Buses web pages , and is acquired, with the prior payment of €5, and recharged at the bus stations of San Telmo, Intercambiador de Santa Catalina and Arucas, as well as at selected stops like Faro, Parque Tropical and Puerto Rico. In addition, it may be obtained throughout the Global Sales Network and at the commercial offices of Guaguas Municipales; in Santa Catalina, Theater, Obelisk and Upper City.
Operational as of Monday, November 19, 2018 when boarding, before validating the card, the user of the ” Resident Canary Voucher “, must indicate the destination to the driver.
Fernando Clavijo with the president of Iberia Express
The President of the Government of the Canary Islands, Fernando Clavijo, began a round of meetings with officials last week from the different airlines that operate routes between the Canary Islands and the Peninsula.
The objective of these meetings, which began with the president of Iberia Express, Fernando Candela, were to confirm the application of 75% discounts off air tickets for Canarian residents following the agreement signed with the Minister of Development, José Luis Ábalos, last week in Madrid.
The Spanish Government on Friday finally authorised the long awaited 75% travel subsidy for residents of the Canary Islands, Balearic Islands, Ceuta and Melilla significantly reducing the price of air and sea travel fares to and from the mainland, with an agreement of the Council of Ministers. The Minister of Public Works, José Luis Abalos, indicated that the discount takes effect as of Monday, July 16.
“The Council of Ministers has authorized the increase of the subsidy from 50 percent to 75 of the rates for residents with the rest of the peninsula,” Abalos announced at a press conference after the Council, acknowledging that this issue had raised “some debate” in these territories.
The minister explained that this discount is to be applied to tickets that are issued from this week, starting Monday, July 16 at 9.00 in the morning. “The first business day after its publication in the BOE scheduled for Saturday,” said Abalos on Friday.
Citizens resident in the Canary Islands will now be able to buy their tickets for flights and sea journeys to the peninsula at 75% discount, increased from the 50% previously in force. Travel agencies predict a 30% increase in demand for tickets and some companies predict an “avalanche” of ticket sales although consumers fear an overall rise in prices.
The increase of the discount for air and sea connections with the Peninsula is now in effect. Residents properly registered in the islands can buy the cheapest tickets from Monday onward.
The increase of the air and sea transport subsidy has been applied to the general price of the ticket except for airport taxes, which the central government already lowered last year. The validity of the subsidy is indefinite, that is, there is no expiration date, so it looks like it could well be here to stay.
The approval of the subsidy increase to 75% by the Council of Ministers may cause a rise in the demand for tickets to the Peninsula, predicted to be possibly 30% by travel agencies.
Consumer associations predict that the increase in resident discounts will lead to overpricing on the part of the airlines to try and compensate. In fact, they have denounced a lack of transparency in the online booking process used by certain airlines, that requires you to indicate if you are entitled to the resident discount before displaying the relevant fares.
Some airlines such as Air Europa said they expect an “avalanche” in the sale of airline tickets. The company say that any fear of price increases “is an urban legend” because the air market is “transparent.”
Following the motion of censure and the arrival to the presidency of the Government of new Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, the new Executive decided to approve the bonus with the Council of Ministers so that it can be immediately applied while it is being processed as part of the general budgets, with a decree law. This formula has made it possible to speed up the process and the deadlines for applying this discount for this summer have been shortened.
The Minister for Development, José Luis Ábalos, said that the new government has activated the discount “as quickly as possible” by “the most immediate” route. “The Executive expects an increase in the number of subsidised trips to the Peninsula to exceed the nearly 7.8 million tickets that have already enjoyed a 50% subsidy.
The exact formula for the application of the discount (the deadlines for passing a Decree Law, which was said to take six more months, as well as the nuance on whether 75% was applied to the regular or bonus rate) gave rise to several controversies up until this week.
The Canarian regionalist parties and the Balearic executive head, Francina Armengol, have pushed the central executive for the last year to start this long awaited scheme, designed to help level the playing field between mainland citizens and those resident on the islands who have found travel to peninsular Spain prohibitive, seriously limiting employment opportunities, and the ability to fully participate in mainland Spanish affairs.
This year’s government budget accounts include €492 million, 16% more than the previous year, for the bonus subsidy of air and boat tickets. So far, the Ministry of Public Works subsidises 15 million trips between the Peninsula and the Balearic Islands, the Canary Islands, Ceuta and Melilla, as well as inter-island journeys.
Canaries airports busy, serving nearly 13,000 flights over Easter, including emergency landings
by Timon .:. | April 8, 2023 | News, Tourism, Transport | 0 CommentsIt's been a busy week at Gran Canaria airport (LPA), which started last Saturday with the FlightRadar24.com website publishing a picture on twitter of "Europe going on vacation to The Canary Islands" showing multiple inbound flights headed for our subtropical...
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Movie and television production on the Canary Islands has more than doubled
by Sanna | March 12, 2023 | Economy, employment, Film | 0 CommentsThe shooting of movies and television series in the Canary Islands have doubled over the course of 2022 and now far exceeds the figures recorded for 2021, which were the highest to date. More national and international productions, more investment and more direct...
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Record tourist arrivals to The Canary Islands, though Gran Canaria lags behind in the recovery
by Sanna | February 21, 2023 | Economy, Tourism | 0 Comments2023 has started positively in terms of foreign tourism numbers. In January, the archipelago welcomed 1.22 million foreign visitors, a 3.2% increase from 2019 (1.18 million). The figure even surpasses the numbers from 2018 (1.21 million) and 2017 (1.20 million) to set...
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Cordial director says they will fight “illegal” decision to allow cement factory to continue in Port of Santa Águeda
by Timon .:. | January 6, 2023 | Business, Government, News, Tourism | 0 CommentsThe general director of hoteliers, the Cordial group, a member of the Las Palmas tourist association, Nicolás Villalobos, has described as "illegal" the decision taken by the Canarian Regional Government to extend the usage of the deep water port of Santa Águeda so...
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The Canary Guide: Gran Canaria Public Holidays, Fiestas, Romerías and Celebrations for 2023
by Sanna | December 29, 2022 | Events & Leisure, Government, Sunshine | 0 CommentsGran Canaria and the Canary Islands share 8 official "bank holidays" with the rest of Spain. Following the publication of the Laboral Calendar in the Official State Gazette (BOE), the eight immovable holidays are: April 7: Good Friday, May 1: Labor Day, (Monday),...
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Works on the new Soria-Chira hydroelectric project expand to the Soria Dam
by Timon .:. | December 12, 2022 | Environment, Government, News, Technology | 0 CommentsThe new Salto de Chira hydroelectric power station project broke ground this year, after nearly 2 decades of planning, with works now being prepared on the primary wall of the Soria dam (the largest in The Canary Islands) and its surroundings, where a spillway will be...
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#VoteLocal: Want to have your say? The deadline to register for next May’s local elections is January 15, 2023
by Timon .:. | December 5, 2022 | Community, Government, Local Council, News, politics | 0 CommentsAcross Spain, municipal elections, to vote for your representatives in your local town hall, will be held on May 28, 2023. All EU nationals, legally resident, have the right to stand for election in their local council, and to elect the councillors whose job it will...
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Regular resident bus travel to be FREE – 100% subsidised – in the Canary Islands from Jan 1
by Timon .:. | November 15, 2022 | News, politics, Transport, Transport | 0 CommentsSpain's central government in Madrid, it was announced this Monday, has accepted 100% free resident travel on Canary Islands urban and interurban buses from January 1. The regionalist CC party have been negotiating with and socialist PSOE government since October...
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Price of bus passes discounted 50% for all Canary Islands’ residents
by Sanna | September 2, 2022 | Cabildo, Community, Government, News, Transport | 0 Comments The Gran Canaria Single Transport Authority (AUTGC) have been able to lower the prices of public transport cards (bonos) on the Island, thanks to a 50% subsidy from the Government of Spain for bus transport on Gran Canaria. The state contribution was raised...
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Canary Islands recommend El Pajar Cement Factory continue to have use of Santa Águeda port for several more years
by Timon .:. | August 6, 2022 | Community, Government, Tourism | 0 CommentsThe Government of the Canary Islands set up a commission to examine the future of the port of Santa Águeda, on the south of Gran Canaria across the bay from Arguineguín, because the concession allowing the cement company to use the port is due to expire on October...
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