The access restrictions to Parc Natural de Collserola due to the outbreak of African swine fever are hitting hospitality and other businesses in the area hard. Although the premises can remain open, the drop in visitors has sharply reduced activity in Vallvidrera and other nearby areas, with several establishments in a critical situation.
At Casa Trampa, in Vallvidrera, the drop in customers has been notable: before, they served between 70 and 95 set menus a day on weekdays, and now they do between 35 and 55. Its manager, Sílvia Baldellou, explains that in July they had to let a worker go and that they do not know how long they will be able to hold on. Also in the same area, the gelateria Uaaala! lost so much customer traffic that Lola Serrat ended up transferring the business in September.
The situation is similar at Casa Juaco, on the road from Horta to Cerdanyola, where Sunday fork breakfasts for cyclists and athletes have gone from 150 or 200 to barely fifteen. Elena Juanas points out that the business is operating with only a tiny fraction of its usual revenue and that they have already reduced opening days to contain costs. In their case, uncertainty over when the restrictions will end even makes shopping planning and day-to-day management difficult.
The impact also reaches the kiosk-bar at the parc del Laberint d’Horta, run by Ana Maria Arias, whose turnover has plummeted 90% since the preventive closure of the interurban parks with access to Collserola. Arias says she has accumulated losses of nearly 50,000 euros and criticizes the fact that, despite being able to open, she cannot work normally because the park remains closed to the public.
The Govern announced in September a possible “de-escalation” of the restrictions toward the end of the year, but considers it too early to lift the measures now. Meanwhile, ERC and the Barcelona City Council have called for the reopening to be sped up and for support to be offered to affected businesses. Mayor Jaume Collboni pledged to reopen Collserola as soon as possible to reduce the damage to shops, restaurants and residents.
Source: Línia