Gran Canaria is the land of eternal spring, where the thermometer fluctuates twelve months a year on an average of 24 degrees and where flocks, not only of holidaymakers, have been arriving from Naples for years. There are many tourist operators – especially from Ischia and Procida – who choose to enjoy an off-season holiday here, but there are also pensioners determined to stay warm during the winter months, young people looking for interesting investments to intercept and many families attracted from the possibility of spending a week at the seaside at low costs, as an alternative to a ski holiday or destinations far from unsustainable costs.
The link
The first easyJet flight from Naples to Gran Canaria took off on Sunday 29 October. An unprecedented route, a direct line with one of the Spanish islands in the Atlantic Ocean, a point of reference for the Neapolitans, surrounded by a very pleasant warmth, which allows you to experience the sea all year round and do outdoor sports. Sixty kilometers of beaches, all free, where you can see many signs that refer to Naples: pizza and spaghetti are a constant that returns when you go around the coastal towns through places where a beer costs a third compared to Italy (served at the table 3 euros 50) and where you can eat at invariably low prices. The scenarios of the island – spread over 1,560 square kilometers – are very different from each other. El Puerto de Mogàn hosts many boats in a colonial atmosphere, while the Maspalomas Dunes are a unique natural area for the variety of ecosystems that host them. In all four hundred hectares which include a beach, a field of living dunes of organic sand, a palm grove and a salt lagoon: a mixture of desert and oasis on the coast of the southern tip of Gran Canaria. Then there are the natural pools of Agaete, where the sea insinuates itself into small craters along the coast, the legacy of an ancient eruption, the Bandama caldera and a series of very impressive views and beaches. The island is a small continent with a paradigmatic profile from the point of view of climate: between coasts, beaches, natural reserves, craters and mountains you experience ever-changing realities.
On holiday
There are many kilometers to travel to discover Gran Canaria but a family on the plane – the inaugural flight sold out – says that renting a car for a week costs 98 euros. They have been spending a week’s holiday on the island for ten years and for the first time they did not need to make a stopover and in less than five hours they reached their destination. The ticket – easyJet’s new Naples-Gran Canaria connection will be operated throughout the winter season with a weekly flight – starts from 30 euros. And there is a plus referring to sustainability: a new generation aircraft is active on the route – Airbus A320neo – which allows a 15 percent reduction in CO2 emissions, and a 50 percent reduction in noise pollution during takeoff and landing.
The sport
It is Silvia Donatiello, representative of the Gran Canaria Tourism Board, who talks about the many virtues of an island where the first golf course in Spain was born (today there are 8 courses), which obtained the Italian cycle tourism Oscar and where sea-related sports are a must. You underline that «not all Italians who chose to invest on the island continued to maintain their positions. Because you need to cultivate your activities to stay on the market.” But there are many Neapolitans around.
The tax advantages
Taxes are much less heavy than those in Italy. In the Canary Islands, a free port until 1992, the IGC (which is equivalent to VAT) is 7 percent, the cost of labor is low and there are many tax advantages for those who invest. Vehicle insurance costs a third compared to Italy (the difference is huge compared to Naples) and petrol costs half as much. To entice a cross-section of holidaymakers, there are also hotels that offer the workation formula, a room with a space intended for those who do smart working. The family is on the beach and those who just can’t switch off have a desk, an ergonomic chair and an effective internet connection at their disposal.
The cost of living for those who have chosen to live on the island is low. Buying a house in the center of Las Palmas, 70/80 square meters large, costs around 200 thousand euros. A figure very far from Neapolitan prices in the central area and not far from the sea. And there are also formulas for six-month long rentals, to meet the needs of those who spend the spring and summer in Italy. The only real contraindication for older people is the lack of a very solid healthcare network. But the decidedly high quality of life helps keep ailments away. Having fun watching the Mariposa take flight, go on tours among coffee plantations, distilleries and banana groves.
2023-11-03 17:42:19
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