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Orihuela Costa beach bars dismantled without ever opening
The beach bars at the Alicante resort have remained closed all year
Orihuela Costa residents were met with a disheartening sight earlier this week when the last of the area’s beach bars, or chiringuitos, were dismantled and hauled off into storage without opening for a single day.
With no contracts yet in place, the region’s beaches have been without any facilities whatsoever all summer and local businesses are despairing the loss of income as tourists flock to other nearby coastal resorts instead.
As well as the noticeable absence of the beach bars, Orihuela Costa has had to do without sunbeds, umbrellas, water sports and even bathrooms. The council eventually installed chemical toilets in August but these were again removed barely a month later, while the high season was still in full swing.
Since there’s no hope of the bars opening before the end of the year, the City Council has reached an agreement with their old management company, Chiringuitos del Sol, to store the structures over the winter, and the last two, located at Caleta de Cabo Roig and La Zenia beach were pulled down on Tuesday November 7.
Meanwhile, the coastal authorities are working to undo the mess inherited from the previous government, which decided not to extend the beach bar contracts. The new plan is to divide up the services (bars and water sports) into five different lots rather than having one company manage everything. The next lease holders will be allowed to take over a maximum of two lots, and the prices will vary depending on which chiringuitos are judged to be the most profitable.
While no date has yet been given for the reopening of the beach bars, a government source claims that an agreement “is very close.”
It’s unlikely to be close enough to cover the festive season though, when the Orihuela Costa beaches, particularly Cala Bosque in La Zenia, are always thronged with thousands of revelers celebrating the traditional Christmas Day beach party.
Image: AVCRL
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