“I read with interest the reflection on the possibility of an ethical code for beaches. Personally, I believe that before writing new rules, it is necessary to promote a different cultural approach to beach business,” states Alessandro Berton, an entrepreneur active in Veneto with three beach club management companies (Des Bains 1900 at Lido di Venezia, Cbc Beach Club in Jesolo and Eraclea Beach in Eraclea).

“The beach,” he continues, “is a public asset entrusted in concession to private entities. This means that the entrepreneur not only has the right to conduct an economic activity, but also the responsibility to enhance an asset that belongs to the community. Enhancing it means investing, innovating, creating jobs, improving services and contributing to the territorial tourism development. But it also means ensuring that the beach remains an accessible place, where those who wish to use the services can do so and those who simply want to take a walk, have a swim or spend some time at the sea continue to feel welcomed”.

Berton continues by stating: “I believe that the future of beach tourism lies precisely in this ability to reconcile business quality and the public function of the beach. Inclusion is not the opposite of business: it is its most mature evolution. For this reason, I think it would be useful to abandon the ideological confrontations that have characterized the debate for too long. On one side there are those who describe beach entrepreneurs as privileged; on the other those who see every form of regulation as an attack on business. Reality is far more complex and deserves a discussion based on substance. The issue of public tender procedures should also be addressed with this spirit. The question is not being in favor or against competitions, but building criteria capable of rewarding design quality, entrepreneurial capacity, investment sustainability and value generated for the territory”.

“Ultimately,” Berton concludes, “the real question is understanding what kind of beach we want to leave to future generations. A beach that is merely a collection of concessions or a strategic component of Italian tourism offering, capable of creating economic, social and environmental value? If the discussion can start from this question, perhaps we won’t need a long list of ethical rules. We will simply have contributed to building a more aware, more modern and more responsible business culture”.