Catalonia has endured below-average rainfall for the past three years, according to Spain’s AEMET weather forecasters. This region of the Northeast is experiencing its driest period since weather records began. The recent rains have not changed the situation.
Andalusia in southern Spain has also been affected by the drought, and the Balearic and Canary Islands are also facing severe water shortages. In other words, Spain’s most visited regions are the ones hardest hit by the lack of rainfall. However, the tourism sector is known to be particularly water-hungry, and there are now growing calls for the tourism industry to reduce its water consumption.
Dante Maschio, a spokesman for Catalonia’s civil society group Aigua es Vida, said the sector should drastically reduce its water use. He has campaigned for years to improve water management in Catalonia. “The measures taken so far to reduce water consumption in the tourism industry have been very limited,” Maschio told DW. “This sector enjoys great freedom.” In times of emergency like this, industries that require water should be forced to shut down, Maschio said. “What we are facing is not just lack of rainfall,” Maschio said, adding that water resources have been overused for many years.
Julio Barea, geologist and Greenpeace water resources expert, agrees. “If the general public is facing water restrictions, this should apply even more to tourists.” After all, vacationers visit golf resorts 10 times more per day than the average person. of water, he told DW. Still, the public is currently prohibited from filling pools, although the Andalusian regional government recently allowed hotels to fill them. “That’s complete nonsense,” Barea said.
Lloret de Mar is a place that attracts touristsImage: Movementway/imageBROKER/picture Alliance
Catalonia had banned the filling of swimming pools, especially in areas affected by the drought. This also includes Lloret de Mar, a tourist attraction on Spain’s northeast coast. Local hoteliers say the ban has been a disaster for tourism. “Vacationists want to relax by the pool,” said Enric Dotras, president of the local hoteliers’ association. The company has invested 1.5 million euros ($1.6 million) in a desalination plant so tourists can still swim in the pool.
Hotels have abolished bathtubs and replaced them with showers.
Dotras told DW that he does not think it is justified to single out Spain’s tourism industry, pointing out that the industry has made many efforts to save water in the past few years. He said many hotels have eliminated bathtubs because showering saves more water. He added that holidaymakers are encouraged not to bring new towels and bed linen every day, which will reduce the amount of water needed for washing. Some hotels have installed systems that allow toilets to be flushed with waste water. Mr. Dotras also pointed out that Lloret de Mar tourism accounts for almost all of the region’s economic output, with around 12,000 people working in this sector.
Barcelona, the capital of Catalonia, is a popular city for touristsImage: Jordi Boixareu/ZUMAPRESS/picture Alliance
The great economic importance of Spain’s tourism industry probably explains why politicians are reluctant to impose strict water conservation measures on the industry. The Catalan government has even lifted the ban on filling swimming pools. After all, tourism trade accounts for her 12% of Spain’s gross domestic product.
In 2023, more than 85 million foreign tourists visited Spain. More than ever. This makes Spain her second most popular holiday destination in the world after France. Catalonia alone has recorded more than 18 million tourists, making it Spain’s most visited region, ahead of the Balearic Islands, Canary Islands and Andalusia.
inefficient infrastructure
According to Cels Garcia, professor of geography at the University of the Balearic Islands in Mallorca, the main cause of current water shortages is mismanagement. “In the Mediterranean region there are always alternating dry and wet seasons, and drought is a natural phenomenon here,” he told DW. That’s why you need to plan ahead, he said. This includes using desalination plants even during the rainy season so that groundwater reserves can be restored. But in reality, desalinated water is so expensive that the plant shuts down as soon as it rains, Garcia said. Furthermore, in regions like Catalonia there is too little investment in upgrading sewage systems and such infrastructure, he told DW. This means a significant amount of water is lost by seeping into the ground from aging pipes. The situation is similar in the Balearic Islands and Andalusia.
Water levels in Spain’s Panta de Sau reservoir have fallen significantly in recent years, but the situation is improving Image: Carlos Sanchez Pereyra/imageBROKER/picture Alliance
Catalan authorities now hope to use more than a dozen new desalination plants to alleviate water shortages. García said the government plans to build a port in the middle of Barcelona’s port. “It’s a simple solution,” the professor told DW. “However, under no circumstances should these facilities be used to foster further growth.” [in the tourist industry]. ”
But by then it may already be too late. In the first three months of 2024, more than 16 million foreign holidaymakers visited Spain. This is an increase of over 17% from the previous year.
This article has been translated from German
