A seaside town has issued a surprising municipal decree as the summer holidays approach.
It is a phenomenon that is spreading from year to year. Hotels have often given up on fighting it, unwilling to start a war between tourists around the pool or on the beach. One municipality has however decided to take the bull by the horns. More than an announcement or a warning, it has even decided to legislate with a proper municipal decree published by the municipal council.
The fine is even written in black and white: a fine of 250 euros for any offender! This city is Calp in the province of Alicante, near Valencia, one of the most touristic regions of Spain each summer. On the main beach of the town, the “playa de Calpe”, the opening time is fixed. Access to the beach is authorized from 9 o’clock each morning. However, each summer, the authorities noted that tourists came to settle there or rather only passed by for a single gesture: to put the towel on the sand in order to grant themselves the ideal place at the edge of the water, even if it meant not returning until several hours later.
These “chronic squatters” will now be fined! This decision aims to regulate the use of beaches, often invaded by vacationers who, from the morning, reserve spaces by placing their belongings, then leave. According to local authorities, this practice creates inconveniences for those who arrive later and find the beaches already “reserved” by towels and personal belongings. City officials hope in this way to restore a fairer balance and improve the beach experience for all visitors.
The municipal decree goes even further, specifying that items left unattended for three hours may simply be removed by municipal teams and returned to a sort of locker. The city hopes to dissuade abusive behavior on its beaches. Will the decree be enough of a deterrent? Calp welcomes many tourists in the summer, seduced by the panorama offered by the beach located in the center of the isthmus and overlooking the Penyal d’Ifac, a spectacular rock formation famous for offering formidable climbing routes.