usatoday24
The tourism industry has faced for a long time A worrying dilemma In Spain (as in other countries): as its main destinations grow and gain attractive, The price goes up of the accommodation, which makes things more and more difficult for workers who support the sector. We have seen it In Tenerifewhere there are hoteliers who are forced to Sleep in caravans For the high cost of rentals. And we see it now In Galiciawhere housing is affecting an even more sensitive group: lifeguards.
Although in the official registry of the community there are registered Thousands of lifeguards Prepared to monitor the beaches, some locations are costing to sign them. And one of the reasons is the high price of rentals on the coast.
Costs. The news He has revealed it The Galician mail: Although the official registration of the Xunta has more than 4,500 inscribed lifeguards, a record that exceeds 13% to those accounted for in 2024, there are areas of Galicia in which it is not easy to “sign” professionals. It is not a general something. In fact there are municipalities that have covered their vacancies well. But there are certain points in the region in which not even this abundance assures them to find vigilantes.
And what is the reason? There are several factors at stake. Input, how the population is distributed. Not all municipalities have the same bag of inhabitants and, therefore, of neighbors with the lifeguard title willing to cover sand sands that remain close to their homes. Another key is working conditions. The salaries are around 1,200 euros per month, according to Precise The Galician mailand they are hired for very short periods, from two to three months.
These circumstances lead to professionals who choose to move to other more southern or warm destinations, such as the Canary Islands or Andalusia, in which they can opt for six -month jobs or for full years. To solve it there are those who even has raised The possibility of betting on “a permanent body” of lifeguards who cover the heat months, more extensive.
Another handicap that affects the sector is the bureaucracy: the longer the aid takes, the greater the risk that the lifeguards have sought alternatives.
Housing slopes. The above are, together with the regulatory issues of the sector, the factors that have marked the guild in Galicia in recent years and explain that the region has suffered shortage of lifeguards. Now one more factor comes into play. The mail assures that this summer the consistors are proving easier to sign vigilants, but where the reason has been found with difficulties is another: the housing price, In full climb.
The general price increase in Galicia as a whole, 7.1% in the last year According to idealistadded to the high seasonal demand of coastal destinations during the summer months, Galician lifeguards who have to leave their locality and rent a floor. In practice that hinders hiring in localities that have to ‘import’ lifeguards out.
Is the house so expensive? A few days ago Technitas published A report in which he points out that an 85 m2 apartment on Riazor beach (A Coruña) reaches € 1,400 per week, one hundred more than last year. In Vicedo (Lugo) a 65 m2 floor costs 650 euros, one hundred more than a year ago, and in O Grove (Pontevedra) a 75 m2 house requires a disbursement of 950 euros per week. The report speaks of vacation leases, but that scenario fully affects seasonal professionals who, like lifeguards, seek accommodation for a few months.
Beyond Galicia. It is not a problem that affects only Galicia. Recently Antena3 He spoke With José Luis, a lifeguard who has been in Ibiza for 25 years and who has not left any choice but to buy a caravan to have a place to live. Renting an apartment is discarded, he explains, because it costs more than he earns with his watchman work. Even the caravan option begins to complicate. “Being in a campsite costs me about 1,800 euros per month.”
“This is something that happens throughout Spain and the most affected places are the ones with the greatest tourist influx, such as Balearic Islands, Valencian Community and some areas of Andalusia and Catalonia,” Confirm to The mail José Palacios, coordinator of the Research Group in Aquatic Activities and Saporrism and President of DEAC, the entity responsible for granting the blue flags to the sand.
Healing in health. To make sure they will have lifeguards there are consistories that directly choose to form them. This is the case of Ribeira, in the Barbanza region, which in 2024 and 2025 He has conducted courses Own who have allowed him to prepare the young people who will be in charge of controlling the sands of the region. Another strategy to prevent them from opting for less seasonal destinations is to expand their work period: instead of hiring them in July, they are incorporated into their positions in June, when many beaches of Galicia begin to fill.
Images | Pedro Dias (Flickr) and Carmelo Peciña (Flickr)
GIPHY App Key not set. Please check settings