Turismo promises to protect the Chiringuito (before admitting he can’t)

The Minister for Tourism, Industry & Commerce of the Junta de Andalucia, Mr Luciano Alonso, stood up in the Regional Parliment yesterday to reply to concerns that the Junta is “anti” chiringuito (beach bars).

He admitted that while many of them were disappearing from our coasts, they “were an integral part of singular form of tourism practised in Andalucia” and that Tuismo was determined to preserve them “within confines of the law, respect of the environment and guarantees of free access to the beach”, etc.

He then reminded us that, actually, it had nothing to do with him, as licenses to trade on the beach are issued by the Ministry of the Environment and rural and marine areas (Ministerio de Medio Ambiente y Medio Rural y Marino), via the General Department of Coasts (Direccion General de Costas), and that as he understood the situation, there were a number of licenses outstanding the the D.G.C. were looking at. But that it would be a good idea to look for a solution to order and regulate the sector. And that, anyway, it was the town halls that wanted clean beaches without chiringuitos on them. etc.

The point of all this waffle, is, as far as I can see, it that the Junta wants to sweep away all the old chiringuitos and build nice shiny tin cans with exhorbitant rents that the local mayor can lease to his buddies (as in El Ejido, for example). This, I am told, is “Progress”.