Hello surfers,
"How are you in Corona times?"
We will have to keep this greeting for a long time, even if normality is slowly coming back - faster in some places and slower in some.
As written a while ago, we are still optimistic that there will be first individual tourism here in Fuerteventura in the summer. Frankly, nobody has yet, but the evidence is growing. Until then, keep your fingers crossed.
I also see the current situation as an opportunity for Fuerteventura and tourism.
Of course everyone here lives on the spot from tourism, but nobody has anything here from “all-inclusive” tourists who never leave the hotel and the pool - and neither does the tourist: he stays in the hotel for supposed financial reasons and eats and drink there. Of Canarian culture, friends of life and hospitality, he only experiences staged moments at the hotel buffet or the tour of the island in a coach.
I admit that in the last paragraph I was a little bit to the point. I have two children and I am well aware of the advantages of a fully organized trip.
When I think of past trips, it is always the unplanned moments and encounters with locals that made a trip special. My children feel the same way.
Individual trips are not only ecological but also sustainable
Sustainable tourism obviously means traveling ecologically, but it also means getting involved in the place of the trip. The cuisine in the Canary Islands is simple but therefore very tasty and inexpensive. If you leave the big promenade in the holiday resort and turn into a small side street, you will find that the food there is often quite cheap.
This way you not only get to know the local cuisine better, but also come into contact with the locals.
The great thing is that the money you pay for the food doesn't go to large tourism groups, it goes directly to locals who live on site. I know many locals who run their restaurants with a lot of passion. They often stand in their eatery themselves every evening and greet their guests, serve or cook.
There are a number of other examples, be it the hiking guide, the owner of a small business or a pension: it is these people who make up the flair of a place like Morro Jable!
With our surf camps we organize sustainable individual trips here in Fuerteventura
Since we are in Fuerteventura, we work with small businesses that are run by local people.
We didn't do that because we think that's ideologically correct.
We wanted to offer the vacation that we would like to experience ourselves - close to the sea, with relaxed locals and nice people who are curious about other cultures and our favorite sport surfing.
The accommodations of our partners Pepe, Alberto and Pablo are not big hotels, they are individually furnished apartments in which every guest is still personally welcomed.
The same goes for the restaurants we work with. Michele, Miguel, Jose, Fernando and many more love their jobs and look forward to welcoming guests again soon.
Conclusion
Even without an ideological rear triangle, we have always been surf camp operators and visitors as individual tourists. We appreciate coming to places to get new impressions and to get to know foreign culture. I am convinced that this form of tourism helps the locals more than visiting large hotels and hope that tourism will become more conscious and sustainable in the future.