By 
The little known island of La Palma is described by many as the beautiful island of the Canary Islands (“the pretty island”).
It’s true, the landscape is just out of this world. It gives you a burst of adrenaline and goose bumps sometimes, it really is that special. It is the steepest island in the world and the views are probably nothing like what most people have seen before.
In my opinion, it is this unevenness of this volcanic island that has saved it from becoming another Tenerife or Mallorca, where what could only be described as mass tourism is present. La Palma simply does not have the long, flat, accessible white sand beaches that the more well-known Canary Islands have and that package tourists desire.
In contrast, La Palma has smaller coves and volcanic black sand beaches, often difficult to access and without the usual tourist facilities. For example, one of the most beautiful beaches in the west of the island is the “Playa de la Veta”, which involves a twenty minute trip down a steep road, then another twenty minutes walking along a cliff path and through a tunnel. cliff. This is how La Palma is, natural and unspolit. It is one of the best places for hiking.
La Palma, of course, has more accessible beaches, such as Tezacorte, Puerto Naos and, of course, the capital Santa Cruz. And this is where La Palma has its share of neon lights and inexpensive accommodation packages available, which has so far been limited to these areas. The best tourist accommodation by far is the historic villas. There are many available, often in idyllic rural settings with swimming pools.
People have talked about how the island is changing, as is often the case. The government has tourism plans to put La Palma on the map. Currently, the main problem is that the airport is not big enough to park the planes and, in particular, the runway is not long enough for larger planes to take off. As a result, the airport has been expanded at enormous cost. This new airport is not yet open. Ask the locals and they will say: “Small island, big airport!” However, I suppose that once some airlines increase their flight times and other airlines start arriving, the airport won’t seem so big.
The island has also followed the route of golf courses and many will open in the next few years. Much rural land has been set aside for this. To go alongside the golf courses, they are building several of the typical large hotels, each with hundreds of rooms.
Of course, the locals are skeptical of tourism. Fortunately, I don’t think La Palma will ever become “Playa de las Américas”; the geography of the island of La Palma is simply not configured that way. I just hope that tourism is handled sympathetically so that the local economy benefits and tourists can appreciate the peace that this island offers, in an otherwise chaotic world.