(upbeat music)
- Hello my name is Stella Akinwumi
and I work at The Sun Newspaper.
I'm here in the Canary Islands to experience tourism,
especially after the post Covid-19 lockdown
and to see the changes really,
because obviously everyone was unsure how flying
and travelling was going to be
with all these measures in place,
so that's why I wanted to investigate.
So when I got to Heathrow I was quite surprised
to see how quiet it was, 'cause normally,
when I've been to Heathrow it's crazy busy,
especially in July time with families,
going to various holiday destinations.
So I got to Heathrow, everywhere was super quiet.
Boots was the only shop really that had multiple people in
because that was the only shop available and opened.
So it was quite a weird thing to see that,
but obviously this is what the new normal is I guess,
for travel for the foreseeable, so.
Going through security at the airport
was definitely very strange because even the announcements
every two minutes they kept emphasizing
the importance of wearing a face mask.
Maintaining social distance.
You look at the floor there are signs saying,
maintain social distance.
On the walls, everywhere, so I think they are really
emphasizing these measures in place
so everybody can feel safe,
especially when travelling is known to be
such a fun and exciting time
and right now, whilst it can still be exciting,
people are still fearful, so I think the security
and everyone are doing their best,
but it's just definitely about keeping yourself
and everyone so it's safe around you.
So I was in La Gomera which is an island,
a village I'd never heard of before,
but from what I've seen online it looked very beautiful
and when I got there, I was quite surprised
at how strict the residents were taking the,
obviously I knew these measures needed to be taken seriously
but compared to how people were in the U.K
the use of a face mask was just so emphasized
and they kept stressing the importance of wearing one.
If you were seen without a face mask
for more than a couple of seconds,
they would question it or pull you to the other side on it.
So they were really taking seriously these measures,
but they were still being friendly,
they were still there if you needed help or advice
or even information on the Covid-19 crisis
and how you can protect yourself.
They were offering all sorts of information online.
So I have never been to La Gomera before,
like I said before, I'd never heard of it,
but I loved the colors.
The houses were so colorful.
You could see the sea from your bedroom,
everyone was so friendly
and I think they really loved museums.
There were so many different museums
and people were just interested in various things.
Like for example, one woman really got into pottery.
She kind of started from nothing
and built an empire on pottery.
So it was amazing how, the residents
just kind of embraced life for what it is.
So we went to various restaurants in La Gomera
and what I found again surprising in comparison to the U.K
was the amount of food that we had.
I'm always used to a three course meal
and here you have a six course meal
and we went hiking, we saw various volcanoes and mountains
which when in the heat, was a bit tiring at times,
but once you got at the top and you saw those viewpoints
and you saw how beautiful the scenery was,
it was all worth it.
I think The Sun readers should definitely travel,
especially to the Canary islands,
because although yes, these measures are in place,
and you feel in your mind that maybe
you won't be able to enjoy the holiday
as you normally would of done in the past,
that doesn't mean you can't enjoy the holiday.
There's still a lot to see, there's still things
that you can do, but it's just about the importance
of keeping yourself safe and others around you.
So all in all it's been an amazing experience,
I'm very glad I chose to come to La Gomera,
because it's an island I've never been to before,
and even though it's a different way of traveling
in terms of all of these enforcements
and regulations that I'm not necessarily used to,
it's definitely made the experience,
it didn't hinder my experience in any way
and it's definitely made it, just as enjoyable
and I would recommend everyone to travel here.
(upbeat music)