Italy has just passed new regulations that may significantly reduce the cost of going to the beach.
The nation has passed new regulations that will allow beach concessions to be put up for bid by the year 2027.
In response to the urgent requests of the European Union (EU) to open up the beach club industry to new participants, Italy has established new regulations that will allow lucrative concessions for beach clubs to be placed up for bid by June 2027.
Those beach permits that are now in effect would continue to be valid until September 2027, as stipulated by the new law that was enacted on Wednesday by the right-wing administration headed by Giorgia Meloni.
It has been stated by the government that the deadline may be further delayed until March 2028 in the event that there are “objective reasons” to extend the process of tendering.
The purpose of the agreement is to meet the concerns raised by current operators who are experiencing the possibility of losing their concessions and would be entitled to compensation paid by the new holders.
When renting loungers and umbrellas, tourists may be required to pay more than thirty euros a day in some cases. In the year 2023, the most recent numbers that were provided by the consultancy Nomisma revealed that the beach clubs in Italy produced an overall income of 2.1 billion euros, which is equivalent to $2.29 billion.
Based on the most recent information provided by Italy’s Audit Court, it has been determined that the government collected an annual average of 102 million euros from operating licenses between the years 2016 and 2020.
Over the course of over twenty years, the European Commission has been engaged in a legal dispute with Italy about the country’s beach concession policies. The Commission has accused Italy of lacking transparency and violating competition laws.
All of the previous Italian administrations, from the left to the right, have steadfastly opposed EU rules that require competitive bidding. Instead, they have continuously renewed the beach concessions that were already in place without implementing open processes.
Over the course of many years, the same operators have maintained control over a significant number of these beach locations, which often leads to a lack of innovation and excessive costs.
Economists are of the opinion that expanding the industry might possibly attract new participants, which could result in an improvement in service quality and a reduction in expenses for beachgoers.
It is now possible for them to spend anywhere from twenty-five euros to hire two chaise lounges and an umbrella for the day in the most basic places, all the way up to several hundred euros in the most exclusive locations, such as Capri or Salento in Puglia.
As a form of protest against the ideas, beach managers in Italy opened their establishments on August 9 two hours later than usual in some regions of the nation.
They contend that keeping beach concessions in the family not only keeps expenses low for beachgoers but also avoids Italy’s 7,500 kilometers (4,660 miles) of coastline from slipping into the hands of large companies that may not respect local customs.