| Just like its near neighbours in the Canaries like | | | | an altogether more pleasant environment. |
| Fuerteventura and Tenerife, the economy on Gran | | | | Sporting pursuits and cultural events are also influence |
| Canaria has grown up on the back of the fine local | | | | tourists to favour Gran Canaria. The local authorities |
| weather and that means a thriving agricultural sector | | | | promote a seemingly endless stream of traditional |
| growing crops that can only be grown during certain | | | | cultural events like town fairs and carnivals in addition |
| limited periods of the year elsewhere and also a | | | | to other artistic promotions like concerts, craft fairs and |
| year-round travel sector. Travellers have been coming | | | | art exhibitions. This year some of the planned events |
| to Gran Canaria in sizable numbers from the late | | | | include a craft festival during July and a Latin Music |
| sixties, early seventies, in fact ever since cheap flights | | | | week, also in July. There are also plays, music |
| meant that more people could afford long distance | | | | concerts and special activities for children. |
| travel and the price of trips to places like the Gran | | | | Sports competitions and events are always popular, |
| Canaria became affordable, even as a second holiday | | | | both with local residents and visitors. During the winter |
| during the winter. In fact a winter sun trip to the | | | | months these are generally designed to provide winter |
| Canaries would normally be much cheaper that an | | | | training opportunities for runners, swimmers and |
| equivalent length break in a European skiing resort. | | | | cyclists, but come the summer the waters around the |
| During the winter Gran Canaria comes into its own as | | | | island become busy with colourful windsurfers, divers, |
| one of only a few European locations that can offer | | | | sailors and sea swimmers. |
| reliable weather during the early months of the year. It | | | | For those who enjoy walking and hiking, Gran Canaria |
| benefits from a unique location far south of the | | | | has some very attractive countryside. The mountain |
| European mainland and although the islands in the | | | | areas present many wonder places like the Roque |
| Canaries are Spanish, they are much closer to North | | | | Noblo, a mountain area that gives the island its national |
| Africa, whose climate they share. That proximity to | | | | symbol, the pine forests of the Tamadaba region and |
| Africa also dictates their summer weather too, which | | | | the La Sorrueda, where there are many recognised |
| again restricts the chance of rain, hours of sunshine | | | | climbing locations. |
| are plentiful and temperatures rarely drop below 20 | | | | Cyclists also come to the island to enjoy the quiet, well |
| Celsius. For many though the bonus is they remain | | | | surfaced road network which provides flat highways |
| comfortable throughout the summer and unlike some | | | | around the coastal fringes and hillier terrain in the |
| places like Egypt, where high summer days frequently, | | | | mountains for the more ambitious riders. |
| Gran Canaria is cooled by Atlantic breezes, creating | | | | |