New Lagos licensing restrictions might hurt tourism
New Lagos licensing restrictions are about to come into effect in a very odd move from mayor Barroso; these restrictions will cover Lagos and its surroundings and this is surely to negatively impact the businesses in the region.
Lagos and the region surrounding it is currently a top nightlife destination for tens of thousands of holiday makers, however the regional council has recently decided to close all of its bars at midnight.
As social media and travel-focused sites such as this one are starting to pick up on this odd piece of news coming from the Algarve it is though that tourists will start to change their holiday-making plans in order to avoid this particular region.
When you look a bit deeper into the new restrictions you’ll see that they will not affect all bar owners equally.
The reason given for the move is said to be noise abatement, however the Algarve Surf and Marine Activities Assosciation – ASMAA – says that it has more to do with offering council-owned bars by the riverfront a competitive edge over the other establishment, seeing as how the riverfront ones are exempt from the new regime.
A few more details about these new Lagos licensing restrictions by-laws: they include reducing the operating licensing hours by two hours for all bars and restaurants in Lagos that have traditionally traded after midnight – with the notable exceptions of the council-owned bars that will soon open on top of the public parking garage in the Avenida along the riverfront.
There’s a massive storm brewing between the Lagos Council and ASMAA, as evidenced by a public disclosure meeting that was held between the Council and ASMAA representatives. ASMAA’s notes on the meeting raise more than a few questions as to the ulterior motives of the Council in going forward with these new by-laws.
This is a rather unnerving development for the region, since pretty much all facets of tourism will surely be impacted greatly, including the Lagos car hire industry, if these new by-laws are passed in their current form, we’ll keep an eye on the issue as it develops and report back to you.
