On 11 May, Spain began tentatively easing out of its COVID-19 lockdown and around half the country entered phase one of the four-stage desescalada (de-escalation), which meant many hotels were officially allowed to reopen. Most, however, have remained closed, movement between Spanish provinces is not permitted until at least 22 June and there is enormous uncertainty about air travel. Nonetheless, some Spanish hotels are cautiously hopeful that Spaniards will be keen to explore their own country once the lockdown eases, and domestic travellers will undoubtedly be first back through the door.
Once a place where sea, desert, and palm groves coexisted in rare harmony, Tunisia’s Gabès Oasis stands today as one of the world’s most fragile cultural-environmental sites. At its heart is artist Mohamed Amine Hamouda, whose ecological practice offers a form of resistance—one built on memory, materials, and a return to ancestral knowledge.