Rimini, September 5, 2026 – “No to maxi beach resorts,” because they risk disrupting the Rimini beach. The scale of the tensions generated by the new beach plan adopted by the Municipality is shown by the fact that the protest comes not from the lifeguards, but from Federalberghi. The president Patrizia Rinaldis speaks out, voicing “the strong concerns of many tourism entrepreneurs, with hoteliers first and foremost, about the choices that are emerging.”
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A step back. Macro-aggregations are a possibility included in the beach plan, which foresees the union of multiple concessions covering a beach front longer than 250 meters. The Municipality has set September 18 as the deadline by which operators can submit projects for macro-aggregations. Meanwhile, the Council of State sounds the alarm. With the ruling on the Zoagli case (Genoa), the judges of Palazzo Spada clearly indicate that concession extensions are no longer automatic and that municipalities must complete the awarding competitions for beach activities by September 30, 2027, excluding the possibility of compensation. Meanwhile, projects for macro-aggregations of resorts are emerging in the southern area of Rimini.
The Municipality’s projects spark controversy
Two projects stand out, and tensions between lifeguards and hoteliers abound. “The Municipality is strongly betting on macro-aggregations. On paper, it’s a beautiful postcard full of wide spaces, pools, and high-level services,” says Rinaldis, “but it risks clashing harshly with the economic reality of our territory, excluding the local entrepreneurial fabric.” In other words, a maxi resort with a beach front of hundreds of meters will make its own policies, and it is by no means certain that there will be room for the customers of all the hotels behind it. Not to mention fears of price increases. “The historic strength of Rimini tourism,” Rinaldis continues, “has always been the short and personalized supply chain between the hotel and the reference lifeguard. Excessive concentration risks turning our hospitality into a factory of standardized and depersonalized service.”
“Risk of creating a monopoly”
The president of Federalberghi looks especially to the south. “The most evident case is the presentation of two adjacent macro-areas, each 500 meters long: a continuity that risks creating a de facto monopoly. And the absence of competition never benefits citizens and tourists.” For this reason, “while understanding how macro-aggregations can bring important redevelopment interventions, it is essential to introduce precise limits.” Which ones? “The extension of macro-aggregations must be limited, if possible not beyond 300 meters.
“The risk is losing the lifeguards of our city”
Maxi beach resorts must be interspersed with micro-aggregations, made up of only 2 resorts. Micro-aggregations already ready must be taken into consideration, without exclusions. After the May amendment, even small groups of operators can make the leap in quality and make important investments without the obligation to join maxi resorts.” At stake, concludes Rinaldis, is the future of the Rimini model.
“There is a risk of replacing the personalized Rimini hospitality model of the typical ‘Rimini lifeguard’ and the customer loyalty that is the beating heart of Romagna tourism. Standardizing the beach risks turning it into an industrial product.”
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