Beach operators were up in arms this morning in Olbia, during the public presentation of the Coastal Use Plan. Approved a year ago by the City Council to begin the process of final adoption, the PUL, presented to residents, envisages a reorganization of Olbia's twenty-three beaches and their surrounding areas, aiming to restore 70 percent of the beaches longer than 150 meters to free use, with the resulting reduction in the space reserved for paid beach umbrellas.
"Today, for many Olbia beach resort owners, is a day to forget: today, 60 percent of the small, family-run businesses in Olbia's state property were eliminated, and over 450 workers, including lifeguards, bartenders, waiters, and beach attendants, will not be relocated to the same small businesses they worked for for years," says Francesco Gambella, regional secretary of the Italian Association of Beach Tourism Entrepreneurs.
Criticized for being imposed from above, Gambella adds, "the decisions made within the Plan were made in complete isolation, without any listening, despite numerous attempts at dialogue." According to the union, going to the beach will also be a drain on bathers: "The spaces dedicated to services will acquire enormous economic value, thus making seaside tourism only for the rich, with revenues useful for the municipal coffers but not for the users. The current beach resorts, eliminated with the stroke of a pen, risk being unable to participate if the tenders are published because, given the way the coastline is designed, they would be excluded in favor of real economic powers," explains the ITB secretary.
Among the criticisms of the PUL signed by the Nizzi administration is the compromised safety on the beach, currently ensured by assistants from private establishments, considering that "the funds allocated to some lifeguard stations in the Olbia area are insufficient to cover costs for a single month."
