Lloret de Mar bans smoking on beaches ahead of summer season
Seaside town recovers most of sunbathing area after March storms
The seaside town of Lloret de Mar, in Costa Brava, has banned smoking on beaches and coves ahead of the summer season.
This will be a "step forward" to have a "healthier" town, Adrià Lamelas, Lloret de Mar mayor, said, as they want to be "sustainable."
Lloret de Mar will become the first municipality in Costa Brava to sanction those who smoke on beaches, a move similar to that seen in Barcelona.
Six civil protection agents will patrol the beaches to ensure no one is smoking and to notice those with a lighted cigarette. If those seen do not comply, local police will fine them.
Fines can go as high as up to €750. However, the city council is working on a campaign to inform people about the change, using different languages and announcing that smoking on the beach is not allowed.
Fines will only be issued if police consider there is a repeated offense.
"This is not a way to earn more," as the plan is to move towards a "more sustainable and environmentally respectful town," Lamelas said after last year's test in two different areas.
Lloret has also recovered its beaches after March's Nelson storm, which had a huge impact on the city's sunbathing areas.
Looking forward to a full summer
Authorities expect beaches to be full in summer, and city hotels are at almost full capacity, with establishments at 95% capacity on average until September.
Their expectations are "excellent," Elisabeth Keegan, head of Lloret Turisme office, said, as many owners do not have 100% occupation rates as they want to have a better quality service.
"For August, luckily, we still have some vacancies, and there has not been a huge early booking, meaning people book months in advance. We still have some vacancies, but we will be able to have a good August in terms of bookings," she said.
Keegan also praised the different seasons in Lloret and the fact that October occupation rates are "very good." One of the key elements is the Girona-Costa Brava airport, which has seen an increase in the number of passengers.
"We are just 30 kilometers away from the airport. This is fantastic for Lloret," Keegan said.