Restaurants located deep within the Serra de Collserola natural park are reporting a significant wave of cancellations, with some seeing a 20% drop in reservations during the first weekend of new access restrictions. The measures, intended to curb an outbreak of African Swine Fever (ASF), have caused widespread public confusion, leaving restaurateurs to bear the economic brunt.
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The Catalan government introduced these restrictions after confirming a swine fever outbreak in the park’s wild boar population. The rules ban public access to natural areas for recreational activities like walking, hiking, and cycling to minimise human-wildlife contact and prevent further spread of the disease. However, access to homes, businesses, and restaurants via vehicle remains permitted.
A Tale of Two Locations
The new rules have not impacted all restaurants equally. A report by betevé reveals a clear divide between establishments in residential urbanisations on the park’s periphery and those situated in the heart of the natural landscape.
Restaurants in more built-up areas continue operating normally. In contrast, those surrounded by the park’s popular trails and paths, heavily reliant on footfall from nature lovers, are already experiencing a sharp decline in trade.
One such business is Asador Casa Juaco, a traditional grill house on the Carretera d’Horta a Cerdanyola, a road winding through the park between the Horta-Guinardó district and the town of Cerdanyola del Vallès. Its primary customers are typically cyclists and walkers who stop for a meal after exploring the park.
Counting the Cost
Elena Juanas, the owner of Casa Juaco, painted a stark picture of the immediate consequences. “This Saturday morning, we hardly served any breakfasts, just a couple of people who came by car,” she explained.
The situation worsened for the lunch service, with a 20% cancellation rate for midday bookings. The numbers speak for themselves: last Saturday, the restaurant served 200 diners. This weekend, between cancellations and the absence of park visitors, they struggled to reach 80.
“People call you, saying ‘we’re cancelling because we can’t come up there’,” Juanas detailed, lamenting that her staff now act as information officers. “We have to explain that yes, they can come up to the restaurants. What they can’t do afterwards is go for a walk, and that’s the part they aren’t very clear on.”
This confusion is causing significant economic losses. The timing is particularly damaging because the restrictions arrived during the peak of the *calçotada* season, a vital period for countryside restaurants specialising in traditional grilled spring onions. “The first restrictions were over Christmas, and now this catches us during the calçotada season, which is also terrible for us,” Juanas added. “It hits you from one day to the next with all the fresh produce bought, and you can’t do anything.”
For now, business owners like Juanas can only hope authorities lift the restrictions as swiftly as possible. These measures will remain in place until the wild boar population is sufficiently reduced.
