Sardinia’s beach businesses are facing a perfect storm: regulatory uncertainty, the risk of confiscation, and a future dependent on political and judicial decisions.
This is the picture that emerged today from the conference “Legality and safety in beach businesses”, organized by Sib Confcommercio Sud Sardegna today at the Confcommercio headquarters in Cagliari.
The meeting, which saw the participation of local authorities, industry experts and representatives of the police, addressed the critical issues related to the management of state concessions, inspection visits, safety and new regulations that could overturn the sector. But the hottest topic was the risk of losing beach businesses without any compensation.
The alarm was raised by Alberto Bertolotti, president of Confcommercio Sud Sardegna : «The land is public, but the businesses are ours. Today we do not know whether they will be confiscated or not. Meanwhile, in other parts of Italy, such as Ostia, a dangerous climate of social hatred is being unleashed against our sector».
According to Bertolotti, the real risk is that the State decides to reassign the concessions through new tenders, but without providing for an adequate compensation system. This would mean, in fact, taking the companies away from the current managers to give them away free of charge to other entrepreneurs. "Our sector represents an excellence of Made in Italy tourism, and in Sardinia 70% of tourist choices are linked precisely to our beaches. We cannot accept that our companies are given away."
According to data from Confcommercio, there are approximately 600 beach businesses in Sardinia that could be involved in the reassignment of concessions.
The Region has, in fact, adopted a measure that should guarantee the continuity of activities at least until 2027. "We have an unassailable provision that protects us, but we need a definitive solution," Bertolotti emphasized.
The conference highlighted the urgency of coordinated action between businesses, institutions and control bodies to ensure a sustainable future for the seaside sector in Sardinia.
"We beach operators want to demonstrate a sense of responsibility and professionalism. We only ask for clear rules and the possibility of continuing to work," concluded Bertolotti.
(Unioneonline/Fr.Me.)