The Canaries has introduced a free insurance policy which will reimburse tourists for any costs incurred from Covid-19.
First published in Gazette Life, September 1st 2020.
The initiative, which was announced by the islands’ Tourism Councillor Yaiza Castilla, is an attempt to lure tourists back to the islands following the impact of recently introduced quarantine restrictions. The UK’s removal of the Canaries from its “safe to travel” list of countries also means that standard travel insurance policies are invalid. The Canarian policy will make up for that in some way, although it cannot cover any costs of nationally- mandated quarantines on return.
The policy, agreed with the French company Axa, is only possible because the risk of infection on the islands remains low. Although the UK, Scotland and Ireland have introduced blanket quarantine restrictions on all Spanish arrivals# Switzerland has excluded the Canaries and Balearics from quarantine restrictions for arrivals from Spain, while Belgium and Germany have also acknowledged that the Canaries are safe for travel.
