In Alicante’s Old Town and in the city’s centre hospitality venues, including bars, nightclubs, restaurants and karaoke bars, will have to close earlier after locals complained about noise.
A popular holiday resort among Brits has launched a war on tourism, forcing bars, restaurants and nightclubs to shut early.
In Old Town Alicante and the city centre area, local complaints about noise have forced officials to create two areas now known as Acoustically Saturated Zones.
They are also cutting the number of terrace areas in half, so tourists hoping to enjoy some al fresco dinner and drinks after a certain time will have to think again. The situation is unlikely to improve any time soon as officials refuse to approve any applications for new terrace spaces.
It’s understood the new measures will come into play by the end of March, just as droves of Brits will be getting ready to enjoy a few weeks in the sun away from blighty, The Olive Press reports. ZAS also suspends the granting of new licences to nightclubs, bars, restaurants, cafes, karaoke bars and even bingo halls.
The new opening hours means hospitality venues apart from nightclubs will close at 1am on Fridays and Saturdays aswell as evenings of holidays. While nightclubs will have to pull down the shutters and turn off the music at 3am. For the rest of the week, 12.30am will be the closing time – 1am for the clubs. Hospitality venues with terraces must ensure they are cleared half-an-hour before closing.
Known for its lively nightlife the new rules are likely to be a huge blow to the millions of tourists who flock to Alicante to enjoy the Mediterranean climate alongside its vibrant atmosphere, reports The Express. During the Christmas/New Year season and the Bonfires fiestas longer opening hours will apply, the council will determine the hours nearer the time.
24-hour shops in these two zones will be no one more, they will close their doors between 12.30am and 7am. Outlets selling bakery goods, take-away meals, newspapers or drinks will also be affected by the restrictions. To ensure the rules are obeyed the Policia Local will run a special operation to make sure closing times are observed and bar terraces are cleared.