The Catalan government is implementing a system to measure water usage at tourist establishments following Barcelona’s declaration of a drought emergency in February.
Although the city received its first consistent spring rains in four years this year, many residents and officials are concerned about the sustainability of Barcelona’s dependent relationship on tourism. As a result, measures will be taken to prepare for drought, reports euronews.com.
While residents are restricted to less than 163 litres of water per day per person, the tourism sector will take steps to implement restrictions, including emptying pools, advisory signs and water usage recommendations, as stated in elpais.com.
Catalonia’s City Council met with hoteliers and tourism industry representatives in December 2023, and announced its objective to reduce tourist water consumption to 200 litres per person, per day.
In addition, the Catalan Water Research Institute is putting together a focus group that includes stakeholders from the tourism industry, the Spanish Association of Hotels and the Ministry of Environment to develop and implement a system for measuring water usage on tourist activities, reports euronews.com.
The water measurement system will be used to track tourism establishments’ water usage efficiency and how they invest in and use rainwater recovery.
