Swimmers have been barred from approaching two beaches in Spain due to extremely high levels of germs detected in the water.
Authorities in Alicante have restricted the beaches of Urbanova and San Gabriel while they investigate the bacterial presence.
The General Directorate of Water and the City Council of Alicante detected abnormally high levels of enterococci in the bays.
Experts have ruled out the likelihood that the germs were produced by discharges from the San Gabriel area’s outfall or treatment facility.
The water will be tested again and again until the bacteria levels return to normal.
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Additionally, the beaches of Centro and Playa Els Tossals are blocked due to contamination concerns.
Meanwhile, fed-up regional officials in Santiago de Compostela, Spain, intend to impose a tourist fee as a countermeasure to overwhelming tourism.
Santiago de Compostela is a prominent tourist site that is best known as the endpoint of the Pilgrim’s Way to Santiago de Compostela.
Every year, pilgrims flock to the city’s Baroque cathedral, with 439,000 visiting the city last year.
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The planned tax will be introduced on hoteliers in Santiago de Compostela beginning in 2025.
The suggested fee would be between €0.50 and €2.50 per person.
According to Spanish officials, this tax may produce between €2.5 and €3million per year for the city, which would then be used to protect the city’s historic centre.
Goretti Sanmartn, the freshly elected mayor, inspired the effort.
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In statements to several Spanish media sites, she declared her goal to change Santiago de Compostela from a tourist destination and theme park to a sustainable tourism destination.
Ms Sanmartn said: “We want to enjoy a rich and prosperous tourism sector, but also a comfortable and breathable city.”
Ms Sanmartín reiterated that the challenges of dealing with overcrowded tourism in Santiago primarily revolve around increasing “awareness” among the public.
She said: “It’s not so much the issue of the number of people who arrive, but of the people’s knowledge of the fact that the basic norms of coexistence must be respected, and respect and care for the heritage must be guaranteed. It’s more an issue of awareness that we have to address from the very beginning.”
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