Tourism and water: Interrelationships and management Jul 16, Prof. Stefan Gössling, Linnaeus University, Sweden

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1 Prof. Stefan Gössling, Linnaeus University, Sweden Cruise ships off the Cayman Islands Tourism accounts for a minor share of global water use. In comparison to agriculture, which constitutes an estimated 70% of total water consumption, tourism is far less relevant at 1%. 1 Yet tourism is often a major user of freshwater in areas where water is scarce or where renewal rates of aquifers are limited, and its contribution to water consumption can be nationally and regionally significant. For instance, in Barbados, Cyprus, and Malta, tourism accounts for up to 7.3% of national water consumption, 2 and in coastal zones of the Caribbean or the Mediterranean, tourism is generally the dominant sector for water use. Tourism and leisure activities can also be a major factor in water consumption at the regional level. 3 These figures refer to direct water use, including kitchens, laundry, toilets, showers, swimming pools, cooling, or the irrigation of gardens, as well as water use for various activities such as golf, diving, saunas, or spas. Water consumption rates as reported in the literature are in the range of 84-2,000 L per tourist per day, and up to 3,423 L per bedroom per day. 2 Various factors influence water use. With regard to geographical location, hotels in the tropics are more likely to have irrigated gardens and swimming pools the two most significant individual sources of water demand in this sector while hotels in rural areas will usually occupy larger areas than their urban counterparts. High-rise hotels will have lower water use levels than resort style hotels, and campsites are likely to consume considerably less water than five star hotels, specifically hotels associated with golf courses, which can consume up to 1 million m 3 of water per year. Such distinctions can be of major importance in regional planning and water management. Global Water Forum 1

2 Even though such direct water use values appear considerable, indirect tourism-related water consumption is even more relevant, creating water hinterlands, i.e. regions from where virtual water is imported. For instance, construction accounts for an estimated 17% of global water consumption, mostly for cement production, and water use in fuel production can be as high as 18 L of water per 1 L of gasoline. 4 Biofuels, often seen as the solution to future energy scarcity, are especially water intensive, with an estimated 2% of all irrigation water already being allocated to biofuels. The production of 1 L of liquid biofuels is currently estimated to consume 2,500 L of water. Water is also used for thermoelectric cooling, hydropower, minerals extraction, and mining, while energy for water production is required in pumping, transport, treatment, and desalination. There are consequently various linkages between tourism, water production, building materials, and energy use. Food is another important issue because its preparation requires large volumes of water. Specifically in tropical tourism, food availability and provisions are an important part of the image of abundance that characterises the tropical tourism paradise. In such environments, considerable amounts of food may be thrown away, while small islands in particular may import a large share of foodstuffs by air, often over large distances. This generates water hinterlands, as both fuel and food production require vast amounts of water. For instance, water requirements to support tourist diets are in the order of up to 5,000 L per tourist per day, and a 14-day holiday may involve water use exceeding 70 m 3 of water for food alone (see Figure 1). While tourism is thus a potentially dominant factor in total water consumption in certain holiday destinations, its overall significance for local or regional water resources is dependent on the context. Water may be scarce in some destinations and abundant in others. Moreover, rainfall and visitation patterns vary throughout the year and there is also the distinction between the share of Figure 1. Water use per tourist per day by category. Source: Gössling et al. (2012) Global Water Forum 2

3 water provided locally and the share embedded in consumption of externally produced goods. It is important to consider that future climate change will significantly affect rainfall and water availability. For example, regional changes in the intensity and extremes of precipitation patterns, increases in precipitation in the high latitudes and parts of the tropics, and decreases in rainfall in sub-tropical and lower mid-latitude regions. 5 Climate change will also affect water quality, for instance raising water temperatures, or changing rainfall patterns and intensities. Given these adverse future shifts, the management of water resources must be a key management priority in tourist destinations both in terms of actual consumption levels (direct and indirect) as well as future availability. Tourism s impact on fresh water availability and quality is dependent on a wide range of factors, such as the relative abundance and quality of water in the respective tourism region, current and anticipated future water abstraction rates, the share of non-consumptive versus consumptive uses, the seasonal and spatial character of water abstraction, competing uses, and the treatment of sewage and wastewater. The fact that many of these issues are interrelated necessitates careful analysis of potential measures to manage freshwater resources: there may be win-win solutions, or trade-offs may be required between different factors. Management responses to water scarcity can be categorised under two broad strategies: demand side management (reducing water consumption) and supply side management (increasing water provision). For many hotels, there are considerable opportunities to minimize water demand, in the order of 10-45%. Water management should also consider indirect water consumption, however, as a large share of water use might be embedded in the consumption of goods imported from elsewhere. Evidence suggests that where water consumption is reduced, this can usually be achieved without any loss of convenience for guests, and at a financial gain. As an example, investments in water saving technology in hotels, including new showerheads, new pan and cisterns, or flow control in taps typically have payback periods from a few months to less than five years. Global Water Forum 3

4 References: 1. Gössling, S. (2002), Global environmental consequences of tourism, Global Environmental Change, 12(4), Gössling, S., Peeters, P., Hall, C.M., Dubois, G., Ceron, J.P., Lehmann, L., and Scott, D. (2012), Tourism and water use: supply, demand, and security. An international review, Tourism Management, 33(1), Essex, S., Kent, M., and Newnham, R. (2004), Tourism development in Mallorca. Is water supply a constraint? Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 12(1), Worldwatch Institute (2004), Rising impacts of water use, org/topics/consumption/sow/trendsfacts/2004/03/03/. 5. IPCC (2007), Climate change 2007: impacts, adaptation and vulnerability; In: Parry, M. L., Canziani, O. F., Palutikof, J. P., van der Linden, P. J., and Hanson, C. E. (Eds.), Contribution of working group II to the fourth assessment report of the intergovernmental panel on climate change, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, U.K. Stefan Gössling is a professor at the School of Business and Economics at Linnaeus University, Kalmar, and the Department of Service Management, Lund University, both Sweden. He is also the research coordinator of the Research Centre for Sustainable Tourism at the Western Norway Research Institute. Stefan has worked with tourism since 1992, focusing primarily on aviation, transport, mobilities, energy, carbon and water management, as well as sustainable tourism more generally. He has worked extensively in islands, particularly in the Western Indian Ocean and the Caribbean. Consultant work includes UNEP, UNWTO, OECD, EC, GIZ, DFID, AusAID, Caribbean Tour Operators, as well as governments and companies. He has been a contributing author to the UN IPCC Fourth Assessment report, and is a member of the Advisory Committee of the UNEP Global Partnership for Sustainable Tourism. The article is based on Gössling, S., Peeters, P., Hall, C.M., Dubois, G., Ceron, J.P., Lehmann, L., and Scott, D Tourism and water use: supply, demand, and security. An international review. Tourism Management 33(1): Global Water Forum 4

5 The views expressed in this article belong to the individual authors and do not represent the views of the Global Water Forum, the UNESCO Chair in Water Economics and Transboundary Water Governance, UNESCO, the Australian National University, or any of the institutions to which the authors are associated. Please see the Global Water Forum terms and conditions here. Global Water Forum 5