Summer of increases in beach for umbrella enthusiasts. Surveys by consumer associations leave little room for interpretation, with percentages rising for the most famous locations. The one who stands out in this sense and not only in Puglia, but at a national level, is the Salentowhose shores have long been in the spotlight for the cost of umbrellas and sunbeds.
Prices
The latest in chronological order is the survey by Altroconsumo which took into consideration the rates charged by beach establishments in ten Italian locations (Lignano, Rimini, Senigallia, Viareggio, Palinuro, Alassio, Gallipoli, Alghero, Taormina and Giardini Naxos, Anzio), contacted the establishments by telephone and anonymously asking for the rates for the first four rows for the week from 4 to 10 August. On average, the first row costs 226 euros, a figure that decreases along the subsequent rows: in the second row the average cost is 210 euros, 199 euros in the third, 186 from the fourth onwards.
Gallipoli presents an upward variation of 2% compared to last year, the most expensive of the ten locations taken into consideration, after Alassio. In general, the Ionian coast is more expensive than the Adriatic one. Furthermore, some beaches offer exclusive services with prices varying between 100 and 350 euros.
Even the Price Observatory of U.Di.Con. (Union for the Defense of Consumers) provincial of Lecce conducted its own investigation on the costs charged by the establishments, taking as a sample three seaside beaches for each location on the Salento coast. Skyrocketing prices in Torre Lapillo, where the cost of the basic service for the standard package which includes an umbrella and two sunbeds is 60 euros in low season, 80 euros for mid-season up to 90 euros in high season. In second place are the establishments of Porto Cesareo with more contained services but not for all budgets: the cost of renting an umbrella and two sunbeds is around 30 euros in the month of June, 40 in the month of July and 60 euros in high season. Third place goes to the other queen of the Ionian coast, Gallipoli, where, in high season, you end up paying 50 euros a day for the basic service, except for those who choose to stay in the resorts and therefore enjoy a fixed price included.
On the other side, on the Adriatic, San Foca is the location with the highest costs according to Udicon. Here too, the beach establishments attached to hotel facilities have a higher cost, with prices ranging from 30 euros for the low season to 40 for the mid season, up to a total of 50 euros for the high season. Prices are a little lower in other beach establishments, as the cost to rent an umbrella and 2 sunbeds is 30 euros in June, 40 euros in July up to a maximum of 45 euros in August, in high season . Much more accessible is Otranto, a place that welcomes an impressive flow of tourists every year and which boasts competitive solutions. The establishments offer basic services, that is, always an umbrella and two sunbeds, at a price that is around 20 euros in low season, 25 euros during mid-season and up to a maximum of 30 euros per day in high season. If, however, you also want to have a cabin, the prices become higher but still reasonable, especially if you decide to book for the entire summer season. The new “Blue Flag” of Salento, that is, San Cataldo, remains the cheapest destination: the beach establishments offer their services at decidedly more accessible prices, with a cost in high season ranging from 24 to 40 euros.
However, there will be no increase in the Gargano where the tourist operators in the area will maintain the same price list as last year. In San Menaio, for example, the costs for an umbrella and two sunbeds vary on average from 10 to 20 euros: the same thing in Siponto where you can sunbathe and swim at the price of 2023. Even in the Bari area the situation appears to be calmed down with an expense which, depending on the location, is between 7 and 30 euros, although on the Mola-Polignano route, there have been some average increases, but always limited. A separate discussion for the “VIP lounge” experience a stone’s throw from the shoreline with extra luxury services: in that case, you can even reach over a thousand euros for a day at the beach.
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