the beaches of Barcelona have spent a weekend with good influx of visitors who have taken advantage of the good weather. The restaurants and beach bars have worked at full capacity.
“There is more tourism movement and, thanks to time, we have been able extend the schedule“, explains Álvaro, the manager of the restaurant La Playa de la Barceloneta. Residents have also noticed this increase in tourism and some of them also applaud the activity recovery. “It doesn’t bother us because it is a source of life and work,” says Josep, a resident of the area.
The smoking ban on the beach It is one of the novelties of this season. Until June an awareness campaign will be carried out and from July the ordinance will come into force.
The beach bars notice the increase in tourism
The establishments of restoration of the area of beaches of the Barcelona coast begin to notice an increase in tourism. In Barceloneta they have spent a weekend with good level of reservations and drinks. “Far better than previous weekends, the movement of tourism is noticeable and thanks to the weather we have been able to extend the schedule,” says the manager of the La Playa de la Barceloneta restaurant. Until now they closed at eight in the evening, but as of this weekend they will extend until ten or eleven at night to take advantage of this recovery in activity.
A feeling that Angela also shares, a worker at a beach bar. “We have had a lot of people over the weekend, especially in the afternoons, and the number of tourists that are arriving is already being noticed,” she says. For this reason, as in many establishments in the area, they are looking for staff to reinforce the templates. The customer profile they are mostly tourism Foreignsuch as French, German and English, although there are also residents who go for a walk.
Megan, a Norwegian tourist who has come to spend a long weekend in Catalonia, was surprised this Sunday by the number of people. “I didn’t know if there would be tourism and if the shops would be open, but it is surprising that there is so much tourism, speaking different languages,” she explains. She has also highlighted that she appreciates being able to walk without having to wear a mask and “go back to normal”.
No smoking on the beaches
One of the most outstanding novelties of this bathing season is the smoking ban to remove the butts Of the sand. The measure has been taken after the pilot test last year. The City Council emphasizes that it was well received and that it meant a reduction in the number of cigarette butts thrown into the sand. The objective is to turn the beaches into spaces for “healthier coexistence, with less waste and respectful of the environment”.
Until June there will be an awareness campaign and July will enter fully into force, once the ordinance has been modified. Some neighbors like Carmen applaud the measure. “I am very happy with the ban because people who don’t smoke must be respected and it must be understood that the beaches belong to everyone and there should be no cigarette butts.” However, he is also aware that the measure is not going to please smokers. For this reason, she believes that it is necessary to seek a consensus formula. “We will have to see what happens and if there are no problems,” she adds.
High season, from May 28
When it comes to mid seasonmost of services of the Barcelona coast are already activated, such as lifeguarding and reinforcing the cleaning of spaces. According to the municipal calendar, the medium season includes all weekends in May and from September 12 to 25, while the high season will begin on May 28 and last until September 11.
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The start of the season is marked by the Celia storm, which has caused sand losses on some beaches, which will make it necessary to carry out recovery work with sand from the dredging of the mouth of Port Olímpic.
More accessibility
The City Council states that accessibility on the beaches has been increased. Thus, improvements have been made such as a new hydraulic chair in the Forum bathsa new pergola at each bathing point to provide shaded areas, a new toilet service in Nova Icaria and a new inclusive changer in the Sant Miquel beach. There is also a new access to the Llevant beachfrom the promenade, which consists of stairs and walkways taking advantage of the breakwater.