Beach concessions ‘fight back’. Algarve begins ‘battle of sun umbrellas’ – Portugal Resident

Only a few days ago, the nation’s press reported that “there is no law that prohibits people from setting up their sunshades in front of beach concessions.

“Private concessions, be they of sun loungers, awnings or tent affairs, cannot exceed the stretch of sand for which they have a licence, which, by law, cannot be more than one third of the beach”. 

But, this weekend, in various parts of the Algarve, beachgoers have found that this is not the case at all. Beach concessions are still acting as if the area of beach in front of them is their private property – and anyone trying to set up a sunshade is being asked to move on.

According to SIC, in cases where people referred to the recent announcements in the press, and refused to budge, “the Maritime Police was called” – and the people were ultimately ordered to move their shades.

What appears to have happened (or rather, not happened) is that the ‘formal orientation’ promised by Portuguese Environment Agency, APA, for Maritime Police, “to standardise procedures on all beaches in the country” has not been delivered. (This could be because APA is fielding the consequences of a government that has announced it will not be bound by APA’s decision-making when it doesn’t agree with it. But whatever the case, it is causing confusion on the southern sands…)

In Vila Real de Santo António, mayor Álvaro Araújo, has said that signs that have always been in place, remain so – and beachgoers are expected to abide by them.

He had another point. “We cannot forget that it is the concession holders who pay for the lifeguards… So, I think that the president of APA should have thought about this before making the decision to make those declarations…”

In Mayor Araújo’s opinion, municipalities should be consulted (and these may well support their concession holders, and want matters to remain as they have for years). To add to the drama, SIC managed to find someone who had paid €20 for a sunbed in a concession this weekend, and hear that he may well decide not to do this again, as his view of the sea has been blocked by the sunshades of beachgoers who have not paid €20 for their vantage spots….

Source material: SIC Notícias