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Bars and restaurants in La Manga had a quieter summer, but the water sports business is booming
The president of the local business association says it's been a good season overall, but the hospitality sector is adjusting after years of post-pandemic growth
It's been a summer of two halves in La Manga and Cabo de Palos. While the nautical sector is growing steadily and water-based activities are pulling in more visitors than ever, the area's bars and restaurants have had a noticeably slower season, with revenue down around 15% compared to last year.Pepe Espinosa, president of the La Manga Business Association, is sanguine about it. "It's actually been a good summer," he says, framing the dip as a natural correction rather than a cause for alarm. "From our point of view, the hospitality industry is adjusting because there has been around 15% less consumption." After the exceptional years that followed the pandemic, when demand surged and businesses boomed, some levelling out was probably inevitable.
The reasons behind the drop aren't straightforward. Espinosa points to a significant increase in the number of restaurants in the area, which has spread the available custom more thinly. "We have more and more restaurants. Many more spaces are being created than before, and that may have taken its toll," he says. The heat has also played a role. With temperatures soaring at midday, terraces that would normally be packed at lunchtime were quieter than usual, with visitors opting to eat later in the cooler evening hours. Staffing difficulties and absenteeism in the sector added to the pressure.
The water sports picture is a different story entirely. Boat rentals, kayaking, paddle surfing, canoe trips and jet ski hire are all up, with operators reporting strong and growing demand. "The nautical sector is on the rise," Espinosa says. "I know it's been going well and that it's continuing to improve."
Looking beyond the summer, the business association is pushing for a longer season. Espinosa recently met with the Cartagena Ayuntamiento's coastal councillor Álvaro Valdés to discuss keeping basic beach services running through the winter and speeding up the permit process for off-season events. National paddle surf competitions and international sporting events in Cabo de Palos are among the proposals being considered.
"What we want is for the beaches to have basic services, but above all, not to be completely closed during the winter," Espinosa says. The ambition is straightforward: to make La Manga and Cabo de Palos a destination worth visiting in October as much as in August.
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