On July 31, Ángela Tendero, co-owner of Barlovento at Ceuta’s Club Náutico, watched her restaurant’s fortunes reverse within hours. By late afternoon, every reservation had been cancelled. The dining room stood empty, and the doors stayed closed for a second consecutive day. The sudden collapse came as Ceuta faced a wave of arrivals on July 30 and authorities suspended the annual Feria, dealing another blow to local hospitality and retail.
“I had the restaurant fully booked, and by 7 p.m. there wasn’t a single reservation left. Everything had been cancelled,” Tendero told La Linterna de COPE. With no customers expected, she explained, opening made little sense. The costs went beyond lost sales: staff wages and supplier payments kept coming due, while fixed costs mounted as revenue vanished. Barlovento had recently received national recognition from Tapas Magazine’s T Awards, yet found itself in crisis after a promising start to the season.
The cancellation of the Feria, scheduled for August 1 to 8, added to the financial strain. Barlovento had invested in its first-ever caseta for the festivities, only to see the event called off after preparations were complete. “Everything has been ruined,” Tendero said. The decision hit local businesses and workers who had already committed resources, from restaurants and fairground crews to artists.
During the closure, Tendero said, several people entered the restaurant seeking food and water. She stressed that they meant no harm, but the episode heightened her sense of insecurity. Many other establishments in Ceuta also closed as a precaution, following recommendations from the CECE business association to stay shut until officials provided guarantees. The episode exposed the vulnerability of small businesses in Spain, which have faced mounting pressure in recent years.
The arrivals began on the morning of July 30. A later reconstruction cited by El Independiente placed the basic movement at about 11 a.m. and described crossings by sea and land. Attributed to Spain’s National Intelligence Centre (CNI), the reconstruction referred to an “established structure” involving seasonal rentals in Castillejos and the use of jet skis. The episode also strained public services: Ceuta official Alberto Gaitán said the number of unaccompanied foreign minors in the city’s care had risen from 180 at the start of July to 3,086, against ordinary accommodation capacity of 29 places.
Estimates of the number of arrivals varied. The Ministry of the Interior cited 50,000, while Ceuta’s president, Juan Jesús Vivas, put the figure at 60,000. Later public estimates also diverged: one government estimate was reported at about 72,000, while Vivas subsequently placed the total above 90,000. A separate estimate exceeding 96,000 was described as an accumulated calculation, not an individualized count of each crossing. The figures reflect different dates and definitions. The Interior Ministry’s published series recorded 3,835 entries as of July 31, while the Department of National Security reported 49,000 arrivals on July 30. Interior’s series later stood at 5,013 on August 15, then 4,076 in its October 15 update. By August 1, some businesses had cautiously begun reopening, but uncertainty lingered and security measures remained heightened.
The effects continued beyond the initial emergency. Vivas later estimated that between 15,000 and 17,000 people remained in Ceuta, citing a 20% rise in September water consumption compared with the same month a year earlier. That was his estimate, not a direct count. The government later reported 12,705 returns from Ceuta to Morocco beginning August 10, distinguishing voluntary returns from formal expulsions in its breakdown.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said the government was assessing possible compensation for affected businesses. A formal count of impacted establishments was underway, but as of August 3, officials had released no details on eligibility, amounts, or application procedures. The Chamber of Commerce of Ceuta called for urgent support for tourism and hospitality, including retail businesses, warning that cancellations could affect the rest of the summer season. For now, business owners like Tendero are left to document their losses and wait for concrete measures.
Barlovento’s difficulties echo the ability to recover seen elsewhere in Europe’s hospitality sector. Anna Possi, for example, continues to run her Italian café at 101 years old, showing how dedication and flexibility help sustain small businesses, as this story from Nebbiuno reports.
