250 Euro Fine on the Beach, This City Has Decided to Crack Down on One of the Scourges of Summer

A seaside town has issued a surprising municipal decree as the summer holidays approach.

It is a phenomenon that is spreading year after 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 therefore decided to take the bull by the horns. More than an announcement or a warning, she even decided to legislate it with a municipal decree in good and due form published by the municipal council.

The fine is even written in black and white: 250 euros fine 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 municipality, the “playa de Calpe”, the opening time is fixed. Access to the beach is authorized from 9 o'clock each morning. Yet, every summer, the authorities noticed that tourists came to settle there or rather only passed by for a single gesture: to lay the towel on the sand in order to secure the ideal place at the water's edge, even if it meant not returning until several hours later.

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These "chronic squatters" will now be fined! This decision aims to regulate the use of beaches, which are often invaded by vacationers who, in the morning, reserve spaces by placing their belongings, and then leave. According to local authorities, this practice creates inconvenience for those who arrive later and find the beaches already “reserved” by towels and personal belongings. City officials hope the move will restore a fairer balance and improve the beach experience for all visitors.

The city ordinance goes even further, specifying that items left unattended for three hours can simply be removed by city staff and returned to a sort of locker. The city hopes to deter abusive behavior on its beaches. The ordinance will it be enough of a deterrent ? Calp welcomes many tourists in the summer, seduced by the panorama offered on 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.