The controversy arose after Laura Roigé, president of the Tarragona Chamber of Commerce, publicly requested that commercial establishments open on Sundays and holidays to serve cruise passengers. The municipal government team regretted that Roigé claimed shops were closed due to the "stubbornness" of Mayor Rubén Viñuales.
The classification of Tarragona as a tourist city or the expansion of a specific area as a tourist zone during certain times of the year would only benefit large surfaces initially, which is currently not a priority in a city that fortunately grows in tourist activity every year.
The council emphasizes that current regulations already allow shops up to 400 m² to open on holidays. Furthermore, they warn that the Chamber's argument "does not have enough weight" to justify classifying Tarragona as a tourist city, insisting that an independent viability study is required.
The statement from the City Council accuses the Chamber's president of defending a "window-dressing tourism model" and of "completely disregarding the opinion of workers, unions, representatives of small and medium-sized businesses, local commerce in Tarragona, and showing zero sensitivity towards the rest of the workers."
