Radical measures in the form of fines for the reservation of beach places were announced by the authorities of the popular Spanish resort of Benidorm, the British newspaper Express reported.
The resort town is facing a fierce dispute over beach reservations, sparking outrage on social media. Residents and cultural vacationers are unhappy that the beaches are crowded with sunbathers, who take the best places right by the water in the early morning and return to the coast only after a few hours.
According to a statement from the local council of Benidorm, it has become a common practice not only at the pool, but also on the beaches, when vacationers lay out their towels, umbrellas and sun loungers to “reserve” the best places for themselves. For some, this has already become a kind of “ritual”, and they even use strollers and shopping carts to fence off a plot on the beach strip for themselves and no one else could claim it.
The local council said that the problem of reserving places is immediately on all the beaches of the resort – everywhere the situation as a whole resembles a desire to take the “first row”.
Numerous worried tourists have repeatedly expressed their indignation at this occasion, stating that this drives them crazy. And beach council member Monica Gomez had this to say about the “sunbed wars”: “We take this problem seriously and are taking steps to address it.”
What did the authorities come up with?
Resort officials declared the first six meters from water to sand a restricted area for sunbeds and other beach paraphernalia. This area should always be free for swimmers and those wishing to walk freely along the coastline. The amount of fines has not yet been reported.
The Council of Benidorm also gave local residents the right to vote and allowed them to clean up towels, sunbeds, umbrellas and other things taken in the wrong places. However, as it was specified, the locals are already taking the initiative into their own hands, sometimes clearing the beach area if no one appears in the place indicated by the beach equipment for several hours.
However, not all tourists agree with the decision of the authorities.