It was said that tourists were scarce during the morning until around noon but this could have been the result of weather conditions. One local resident was interviewed who told reporters that he did not agree with the ban on vehicles in the cove and directed them to the local restaurant owners, saying that their turnover had decreased by some 50%
In the Chiringuito Llebeig they say that the business has dropped considerably. They said that from serving an average of 10 paellas er day, they were now down to 4 or 5.
Further input came from a tourist and neighbor who has a house in the area, who stated that ” I agree on the closing but it has to be better organised . He went on to say that the council needs to find a solution to the problems now and suggested that ” The tourists who reserve table in the restaurants should be allowed to go down with their vehicles.” It appears that, on average business in the cove, restaurants and beach services are around 40% down so far this season.
They also interviewed local councilor for services, Kika Mata , who came down to see how things were working. With the cloudy day and the lack of tourists, the barrier was not thought to go down until the parking lots were full. The bus, which was tested that day had 30 passengers and so was not considered a great success.
More restaurant owners were interviewed but from the report it seems that not many local residents had a chance to voice their opinions. Maybe those who are adversely effected by this initiative will need to approach the councilor for services or maybe write to Xabia.com??