BEACHGOERS will be walked to the spot where they can lay their towel in a restaurant-style welcome on the most popular Brit beaches in Portugal.
The long-standing practice of most upmarket eateries or hotels of using hostesses to guide customers and clients to breakfast and dinner tables is set to be repeated this summer on the Algarve.
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Authorities have made it clear tourists won’t be made to wait to access beaches, but will be given the option of their expertise to help them select the best place to top up their tans and stay safe.
Algarve beaches will officially open on June 6 and the prospect of Brits enjoying summer holidays there has been given a boost in recent weeks with talk of an ‘air corridor’ scheme between countries like the UK and Portugal.
Joao Fernandes, head of the Algarve Tourism Board, said last week he was looking forward to the region being the British number one foreign holiday choice.
He welcomed the beach assistance scheme today as he claimed: “The initiative means Portugal is once again being a pioneer with regards to the balance between safety and leisure.
“These beach assistants are going to improve the experience of beachgoers, who will be received by a young and knowledgeable person."
Antonio Pina, head of the Algarve Municipalities Association which is behind the initiative, added: “We [will] allocate to most of our beaches at least two assistants who would receive beachgoers, lead them to less congested areas, inform them about social distancing rules and suggest best practices while they are on the sand.
“Town halls are currently working on hiring these people. We are focusing on recruiting young people, who are trained in tourism and speak several languages.
“They will be a type of host or concierge, if you like. They will have a relaxed and jovial profile and wear shorts and T-shirts.
“We want them to be friendly figures capable of helping beachgoers in these times of uncertainty.”
Authorities in southern Spain announced on Sunday an “army” of 3,000 beach assistants would be hired for this summer in areas like the Costa del Sol to make sure tourists obeyed social distancing rules.
But there was no indication they would offer a hostess-type service like the one that has been outlined for the Algarve region.
Andalucia's president Juanma Moreno said their responsibilities would include “guaranteeing the safety of beachgoers through surveillance and organising social distancing.”
They will also be tasked with controlling access and limiting the numbers of people on the busiest beaches.
Although they will not be given police powers, the regional government chief said they would be expected to inform police about incidents so officers could intervene if necessary.
Describing the beach assistants as a “huge army”, he added: “They will enable us to organise in a planned way the opening of our beaches this summer.”
Mr Moreno revealed his new plans for Spain’s southern beaches after the country’s PM Pedro Sanchez said foreign tourists would be welcomed back from July.
Mr Sanchez said in a live televised address on Saturday: “Spain receives each year more than 80 million visitors.
“That’s why I’m announcing to you that from the month of July the entry of international tourism to Spain will restart in safety.
“Foreign tourists can now start planning their holidays here.”
Low cost airline Ryanair today announced plans to restart flights to destinations including Portugal and Spain from July 1.
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