One of Europe’s most well-known seashores makes solar lounger announcement that sparks fury
One of the most famous beaches in Europe has caused outrage with a sun lounger announcement.
La Concha beach in San Sebastian, northern Spain, has long been revered for its beauty.
A-list celebrities like Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz have long posed on its promenade for the city’s annual film festival.
But Spain’s coastal service has introduced a new rule that the number of parasols allowed on the beach has to be reduced by a third because of climate change.
Officials say that the beach has been shrinking due to rising water levels caused by climate change.
While the city council originally planned to draw lots for 440 parasol spots on La Concha this year, the country’s coastal service decreed that it is only allowed to give out 290 spots.
The move would push back the most expensive and sought after rows, and would eliminate the slightly cheaper seats.
The coastal service, which also cited a law that states parasols need to be at least 6 metres from the sea to account for high tides, said in a report: ‘The beach has lost surface area and justified a review of the occupation of the seasonal services.’
La Concha beach in San Sebastian, northern Spain, has long been revered for its tranquillity and beauty
Spain’s coastal service has introduced a new rule that the number of parasols allowed on the beach has to be reduced by a third because of climate change
It added that strong waves or storms could ‘make the beach disappear momentarily.’
The move infuriated the city’s mayor, Eneko Gola, who accused the national agency of ‘making life impossible for coastal municipalities with its irrational decisions.’
It comes as holidaymakers across Europe are bracing for mass actions against them from furious locals who want to reduce tourism.
Spanish anti-tourism activists have told holidaymakers to stay away in a ranting open letter warning that this year will be the ‘worst summer in the history of Mallorca’.
Leading protest groups have issued a letter urging Brits and other tourists to ‘stay home’ at the summer holidays as they warn of overcrowding, environmental degradation and other ‘serious’ problems in Mallorca.
‘ENOUGH. STAY HOME! DO NOT COME. We do not need more tourists,’ locals wrote in the letter, which was published in the Majorca Daily Bulletin. ‘In fact, you are the source of our problem.’
The furious letter was written by seven anti-tourism groups on the island: SOS Residents, Menys Turisme Mes Vida, GOB, GADMA, Alternative Per Pollenca, Brunzit and Amics De Le Vall De Coanegra.
Spanish anti-tourism activists have told holidaymakers to stay away in a ranting open letter warning that this year will be the ‘worst summer in the history of Mallorca’. Pictured are protesters with anti-tourism signs during a demonstration at Palma de Mallorca in August 2024
Anti-tourism campaign group Banc del Temps Sencells posted a video last week hinting that there will be more action taken. In the clip, locals can be seen marching through Mallorca’s streets holding ‘For Sale’ signs
The activists claimed that ‘Mallorca is not the paradise’ being sold to tourists, alleging that locals are ‘angry and no longer hospitable’ because holidaymakers are destroying their home. Pictured are protesters flooding the streets of Mallorca last July
They claimed that ‘Mallorca is not the paradise’ being sold to tourists, alleging that locals are ‘angry and no longer hospitable’ because holidaymakers are destroying their home.
They claim the holiday hotspot has been ‘exploited to unimaginable limits’ and allege the ‘greed and avarice’ of ‘parasite’ hotel owners, politicians and real estate investors has caused an ’emergency situation’.
‘The land we love it’s being destroyed and many of us have to leave the island because it is uninhabitable,’ locals said, adding: ‘It is time to take a stand.’
The anti-tourism movement is gaining momentum across southern Europe with at least 15 activist groups from holiday hotspots in Spain, Portugal, Italy and France set to meet in Barcelona next month to plot their next steps.
