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It’s been a chaotic summer for the chiringuitos in Cartagena. After months of uncertainty, delays and endless paperwork, the beach bars finally started opening a few weeks ago. But the drama didn’t end there. Now that most of them are finally up and running, owners are facing a fresh problem.

 

The new rules brought in by the coastal authorities are turning out to be a real headache. One of the biggest changes is a rule that says sun loungers and umbrellas have to be at least 50 metres away from the beach bars, and 100 metres from each other. That might not sound like a big deal, but in practice it has changed the whole setup.

 

Customers are confused, staff have to walk much further in the scorching sun to serve drinks and many bars are having to rethink their entire business model.

 

And there are other issues. The new rules also ban storage units, which means beach bars can no longer keep fresh produce close by. Some have had to completely change their menus to work around it.

 

The man sounding the alarm is José Luis Gestoso, vice president of Hostecar, the hospitality association for Cartagena and surrounding areas. He says sales are already down by at least 20% and the season is only halfway through.

 

“It's becoming much more difficult for us,” he said, “because the business model has changed with all the restrictions we've had and the police controls we're experiencing.”

 

The delays earlier this year also added to the mess. The city council put 33 beach bars out to tender, but the whole process was complicated by a fresh set of demands from the State Coastal Authority. Several locations had no bidders at all, including San Ginés in La Azohía, Los Alemanes, Poniente, Los Nietos, Punta Brava and El Portús.

 

Some of these are now finally being assigned after a second tender, but the season is already flying by.

For customers, it is not always clear what’s going on either. With the loungers pushed so far away, people often can’t tell whether they are linked to a beach bar or not. And facilities like toilets and changing rooms are also in different places, adding to the confusion.

 

Despite everything, there is still a bit of optimism. Mr Gestoso says they are working hard to adapt and are hoping for a better end to the summer.

 

 

Image: Archive