The municipal plenary of Tarragona rejected last Friday supporting the hourly liberalization so that large surfaces can open on Sundays and holidays. The vote maintains the clash between the government of Rubén Viñuales and part of the city's economic fabric over the commercial integration of tourism.
The tension has already moved to the courts. While the City Council maintains that there is no social consensus to declare Tarragona a Tourist Municipality and that the measure would primarily benefit large surfaces, Parc Central has filed a lawsuit to force the processing of the expansion of the Tourist High Traffic Zone.
Parc Central took the expansion of the tourist zone to the courts
The shopping center bases its lawsuit on two arguments. On the one hand, its proximity to the Necropolis, and on the other, that its premises are less than 300 square meters, an area that would already allow them to open on Sundays.
That tug-of-war comes after the plenary's rejection of hourly liberalization. The municipal executive argues that the tourist declaration does not have sufficient agreement in the city and maintains that opening on holidays would have a favorable impact, especially for large surfaces.
From the Cambra de Comerç, on the other hand, Laura Roigé demands that whoever wants to open be allowed to do so, without imposing it on the rest of the sector.
"We must let justice take its course. We maintain that there should be freedom, as in Barcelona, so that whoever wants to open on Sunday can do so" - Laura Roigé, president of the Cambra de Comerç
The Cambra links the request to the 23,000 cruise passengers received
The entity also urges the council to request the declaration of Tarragona as a Tourist Municipality. Roigé bases this request on the activity linked to cruises, with 23,000 cruise passengers received this year, a figure that the Cambra considers an argument to review the city's commercial framework.
Roigé insisted that opening on Sundays should not be mandatory for anyone. Her approach involves leaving the decision in the hands of each establishment, whether it chooses to open or prefers to keep it closed.
"Everyone should be free, it should not be mandatory to open. Let everyone decide what is best for them" - Laura Roigé, president of the Cambra de Comerç
Furthermore, the president of the Cambra contrasted the restriction of physical opening hours with current purchasing habits. Along these lines, she recalled that many products can already be purchased in the early morning, on holidays, and on Sundays through other channels.
In parallel, Roigé criticized the institutional relationship with the City Council. She assured that no councilor from Rubén Viñuales's team has attended Cambra events, including meetings with the president of Aena, the president of Puertos del Estado, or Berni Álvarez.