THE tourist season is underway but although the beaches are attracting a large number of bathers, those in Calvia do not have any life guards at the moment. This is because the council has still not awarded the beach concession for hiring deckchairs, sunbeds and sunshades, which from this year also includes providing the life guard service. The concession for the Calvia beaches, which includes Palmanova, Magalluf, Illetes, Peguera and Santa Ponsa, expired last November, but the council did not seek bids for the new concession until the end of March. The bids were opened on April 24, but the winner will not be known until the middle or end of May, council sources said. Twenty-seven firms are seeking the concessions for the 30 beaches in the municipality, with 7'500 sunbeds, 3'500 sunshades, 190 pedalos, four kiosk-bars, canoes and other attractions. The new concession will be valid until 2008 amd the council hopes it will bring in 1.5 million euros a year.
This year, the council has decided not to provide a life guard service as it has done for the past ten years. From now on, vigilance and security at sea and the beaches will be the responsibility of the firm which holds the concession for each of the beaches. This will cut into their profit margins and force them to hire more staff. Several sources say that this could weaken the life guard service because of lack of co-ordination between the different beaches. Some interested parties said it means that some of the beaches will not be profitable if they have to provide a life guard service as well.
In view of the situation, some of the regular life guards in Calvia have decided to seek employment elsewhere.
The Calvia life guard brigade had been a model for other municipalities for years.
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