Beach concessionaires defended this Monday the need to clarify the rules regarding the placement of private umbrellas in front of bathing concessions, the impediment of which was today classified as “an abuse” by the president of the Portuguese Environment Agency (APA).
Speaking to journalists, André Sousa, a concessionaire on Garrão beach, in the Algarve, stated that the situation results from the lack of uniform guidelines and contradictory interpretations of the rules in force.
“The truth is that it seems like there never was a law, but the beach notices always said that it was mandatory to comply with the current signage,” said the officer.
According to André Sousa, the concessionaires limited themselves to complying with the instructions contained in the notices and on the signage placed on the beaches, recommending that users install their umbrellas outside the areas occupied by the concessions.
Dealers reject accusations of “abuse”
Despite the criticism made by the president of , André Sousa rejects that there was any abusive action on the part of beach operators.
“I don’t think it was abuse. I simply think that all dealerships complied with the rules in force, in which there were signs that you were obliged to put up”, he maintained.
The person responsible considers that the problem results from the coexistence of different interpretations of the rules applicable to concession beaches.
“The beach notice also has its own rules and now it seems that there is no consensus. They tell us one thing, it says something else. We, concessionaires, need to see this resolved so we know how to proceed”, he added.
André Sousa also guarantees that bathers were never forced to leave certain areas of the sand.
“We never force anyone to leave. We always recommend people, informing all users that the umbrella area, as indicated by the signage, is on that side. There are those who comply, there are those who comply, there are those who don’t”, he explained.
Operators admit economic impact on concessions
The Algarve concessionaire also highlighted that operators do not have the authority to impose restrictions on users, with this responsibility falling to the Maritime Police.
According to André Sousa, “people were often seen being fined and removed from the area and others not”.
Even so, he admits that any widespread authorization to place private parasols in front of concessions could affect concessionaires economically.
“Probably yes, because it is a concession area and the user who will pay to be in a concession area, with the right to a sun lounger and umbrella, if there is a person right in front with a private hat, he might not find it very funny”, he said.
Caparica dealership calls for “common sense”
João Carreira, concessionaire in Costa de Caparica, also rejected the existence of any abuse by beach operators.
“There is no abuse”, he declared, ensuring that the concessionaires “do not say not to put hats on the beach”.
As he explained, the concession area is divided into two zones, with only 30% corresponding to the shadow area explored by the concessionaires.
“The rest of the 70% is a free zone, for the user to take their hat”, he stated, arguing that it is necessary to guarantee organization and safety on the beach.
João Carreira also highlighted that the areas are identified with signs approved by the maritime authorities and called for “common sense” in the use of the bathing space.
“That doesn’t make a lot of sense, because we have the responsibility to guarantee the safety of the beach, we have the responsibility to give, in quotes, our bathrooms to be used by everyone and we don’t charge anything. So, we provide security and support to all users. And, in turn, we have these counterparts of exploiting 30%”, he explained.
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