TOURISM bosses are calling for greater protection for the Costa del Sol’s famous beach bars amid fears that red tape could put the businesses at risk.
Francisco Salado, president of Malaga’s provincial government and the Costa del Sol’s tourism board, said authorities should provide ‘legal certainty, stability and clear rules’ so chiringuito owners can properly manage their businesses.
The call comes as beach bars face increasingly complicated procedures linked to environmental rules and the use of public coastal land.
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“Nobody can ask a business owner to invest, modernise and create jobs if at the same time they do not have sufficient guarantees about the future of their business,” Salado said.
“That is why we are calling for dialogue, responsibility and certainty, as well as for the economic, social and tourism reality of our coastline to be taken into account,” he added.
Salado said environmental protection and economic activity should coexist, calling for a coastline that is ‘protected and sustainable’, but also ‘alive, productive and a source of opportunities’.
Malaga is home to almost half of Andalucia’s beach bars, with the sector supporting around 20,000 jobs across the province.
Owners say the uncertainty surrounding their concessions is making it harder to invest, with environmental rules placing strict limits on what can be built on the coast.
On natural beaches, food and drink establishments are limited to 70 square metres, with no more than 20 square metres allowed to be enclosed, while structures must be seasonal and removable.
The rules are designed to reduce the impact of buildings on fragile coastal areas and protect beaches from erosion and climate change.
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For chiringuito owners, however, those restrictions can make it harder to expand their businesses, particularly when combined with uncertainty over how long they will be allowed to operate from the same location.
Salado has argued that protecting the coastline and the businesses that depend on it should not be mutually exclusive.
He is calling for the different administrations involved to work with the sector and provide the certainty needed for chiringuito owners to keep investing.
The sector says more than €150 million has already been poured into renovating chiringuitos and making them more sustainable.
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