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The government of the Canary Islands has raised an outcry by proposing to downgrade the protected status of hundreds of species of plants and animals.

The planned alterations would mean that large areas previously protected from urban development could now receive planning permission for new homes, golf courses and tourist facilities.

The Canary Islands, with their unique bio-diversity, have long been recognised as a haven for wildlife. They’re home to about 4,000 species and sub-species that don’t exist anywhere else in the world. These include birds, a snail, a grasshopper and a type of sea-grass.

Ecologists branded the plan by the regional authority in the Spanish Atlantic islands a ‘crime’ and called on the central government in Madrid to intervene. They claim the proposal aims to remove obstacles that have impeded the development of tourist resorts across the islands.

The opponents have threatened to take their case to the European Parliament, claiming the new bill is in violation of European Laws on the protection of endangered species.

by Andy Moreton, with Fiona Govan in Madrid

Luxique offers great rates at six top-class hotels in the Canary Islands – all with different styles, but luxurious facilities.

The Spanish Canary Islands are trying to revive their flagging tourism industry by showing people how to be more welcoming to visitors.

Taxi drivers, hotel receptionists and shop owners will be offered ‘friendliness seminars,’ where they’ll be taught the importance of smiling and given a smattering of English phrases to demonstrate that the tourist’s custom is appreciated.

Spain – including the Canaries – has been a magnet for British holidaymakers for years, but a combination of the recession and the falling value of the pound against the euro has seen a sharp downturn. Some 200,000 fewer Britons went to Spain in February compared with the same month in 2008.

A spokesman at the Lanzarote Chamber of Commerce, which is running the £38,000 ($54,000) pilot scheme, said: “We’re aware that Spaniards are not seen as overly friendly by British holidaymakers and we want to change that grumpy image.”

Cab drivers will be reminded that they’re the first point of contact for visitors and should do their utmost to be welcoming. “Ensure your taxis smell nice – and don’t drive too fast,” is the message for them in the two-hour seminar.

If the initiative is successful, it will be extended to other holiday resorts throughout Spain. A spokesman for the marketing company behind the strategy said: “We have a good climate and great beaches and if tourists are made to feel welcome, they will come again and tell their friends to come too.”

by Andy Moreton, with Fiona Govan in Madrid

Luxique offers great rates at six top-class hotels in the Canary Islands – all with different styles, but luxurious facilities.

British and German tourists share many a Mediterranean hotspot each summer - sometimes, it has to be said, uneasily. A long-running cliché persists about the Germans rising at dawn to lay towels on sun-loungers.
Recently, a British businessman on holiday with his family on the Greek island of Kos found that the activities and entertainment offered at his hotel were available only in German.

He took the holiday company to court and was awarded £750 ($1470) in compensation. The judge agreed that the firm’s brochure had misled him by failing to make it clear that the hotel catered for a mainly German clientele.
Now, Germany’s top-selling newspaper, Bild, has responded with a few choice remarks about drunken, sunburned Britons. It also advised German tourists to avoid six European resorts particularly popular with British holidaymakers: the Bay of Palma in Majorca; San Antonio in Ibiza; Playa de las Americas in Tenerife; Ayia Napa in Cyprus, Faliraki in Rhodes and Malia in Crete.
And it adds: “You don’t want to be on holiday with us? No problem, we’ll play football without you in the summer.”
Ouch – that’s really below the belt. The finals of the European soccer championships are taking place in Switzerland and Austria at the moment - England famously failed to qualify.

by Andy Moreton

Hundreds of holidaymakers visiting the Spanish Canary Island of Lanzarote could find that the Lanzarote hotels they’d booked are about to be demolished.
The Canary Island High Court has ruled that 22 hotels have been built illegally because two councils ignored restrictions put in place to limit tourist developments on the island. The authorities have revoked the building licences but have yet to make a final decision on whether the hotels will be pulled down.
Lanzarote is a popular year-round European destination because of its mild winter climate. It attracts nearly a million British visitors a year.

The laws at the centre of the dispute were passed in 2000 to try to limit the development of coastal hotels. The authorities wanted to prevent the island going the way of some Spanish mainland coasts where unhindered building has led to concrete jungles. Police are investigating whether officials in Lanzarote granted illegal licences in return for backhanders from property developers.

by Andy Moreton