Canary Island to charge sunbathers £3.80 in first hike price in 23 years
Brit tourists heading over to a Canary Island hotspot are slated to be hit by soaring costs if they want to spend their days at the beach.
Last year, a whopping four million international visitors flocked to Gran Canaria, making it the second most popular island on the Spanish-owned archipelago. Famed for its 400-hectare dune system, endless golden sandy beaches and crystal-clear water - the destination is perfect for those wanting to top up their tan while kicking back with a good book.
Combine this with low rainfall and scorching temperatures that are predicted to hit a scorching 38C this month, and it's clear why Gran Canaria has become a sunbather's paradise. However, that might soon be about to change.
For the first time in over two decades, officials have reportedly proposed to increase the cost to rent a sun lounger. The charge, which hasn't changed since 2002 when Spain moved from Pesetas to Euros, will affect all of the beaches in the San Bartolomé de Tirajana region - including in the tourist-riddled hotspots of Maspalomas and Playa Del Ingles.
According to Canarian Weekly, renting a sunbed or parasol currently costs €2.50 (£2.13) per day, but this will rise to €4.50 (£3.84) for both items under the new rules. For a family of four renting out a sunbed each for seven days - this will work out at a staggering €126 (£107.41).
Along with the price hike - which an economic study suggested should actually rise to €6 (£5.12) - tourists will also be able to rent out Balinese beds for €15 (£12.79) per day and personal safes €3 (£2.56) to lock away their valuables.
Local media states the council, led by Yilenia Vega, argues that even with the price hike - the rates remain 'highly competitive' compared to both local and national averages. However, the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) has criticised the move, accusing the council of 'prioritising private company profits over public benefit'.
Over in Majorca, authorities are actually seeking to remove a staggering 1,700 of its sun loungers from beaches to make more room for protesting locals. As previously reported, Palma's council has green-lighted plans to slash sunbeds on the city's beaches by 20 per cent by next year.
"There has been a loss of sand on the beaches, and we couldn't maintain the same number of sunbeds and umbrellas - and this has coincided with complaints from residents who feel they have less space," a spokesperson for the Department of Home Affairs of the Balearic Islands reportedly said. "The mayor [Jaime Martínez] is aware that the majority of residents don't use the sun bed service, so we decided to implement this redistribution."
The move isn't just to snub pasty Brits desperate for a tan, but has also been attributed to rising sea levels which are slowly taking away space on the beach. You can find out which beaches will be affected by the shakeup here.
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