Now this seems like a tiny section of the world's many varied countries. And there is a very simple reason for this: only a few countries have direct flights to the Canary Islands; and the runways are a little short for the bigger planes at the moment. Plus, only a few of these countries have advertising in place for these destinations, and the ones that do, don't seem to keen compared to those that advertise mainland Spain, Europe or Florida.



It makes a lot of sense that countries with direct routes should push these locations, but it would be great if other countries approached the airlines about routing into the Islands.

There is plenty of room for more varied airlines, plus the airports have been (or are being) revamped in expectancy of a population boom for 2008. But, sadly it never happened. But what did happen was the credit crunch hit, and it hit hard. The gas prices for airlines went up, and this expense was (helpfully) passed onto the traveler. But this has affected everywhere, and suddenly vacations seem to be a secondary consideration.

This is very sad as I live in the Canary Islands and to see the places low on tourists, empty seats on planes, and the tourist attractions simply not attracting tourists, is a crime. I realize this is a global issue, but I guess it resonates somewhere as small as Fuerteventura that is so dependent on tourism. Its a visible and tangible thing, and when they don't come, the place is empty.

To see our islands dying a death is terrible, and I am sure everyone around the globe is suffering just as badly. But living here in this microcosm really hits home...and hard.

But the Islands, and Fuerteventura in particular, are great places to visit. They are safe and clean, and the prices out here are amazing. Property is dirt cheap to buy and rent, and the average meal for the family is probably 40% less than the USA.

Come and see us in the Canary Islands, it might mean a little more effort to get here. But I promise you, it will be worth it.