PLANNING a holiday in the sun? Think that resorts packed with high-rise hotels are bad for the environment? Not so much, it turns out, at least when it comes to water. Tourist hotspots can make more efficient use of local water resources than the more discreet villas.
David Sauri at the Autonomous University of Barcelona in Spain and his colleagues studied the tourist hub Benidorm, in south-east Spain, and the holiday villas and houses scattered along the nearby coast. When they looked at which type of tourism used water more efficiently, they found that the eco-conscious tourist would be better off heading for the high-rise Benidorm hotels.
鈥淭he eco-conscious tourist would be better off heading for a high-rise hotel鈥�
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During September, a peak tourist month, the average Benidorm guest in a four-star hotel uses 414 litres of water per day, compared with 590 litres per person for those renting houses with a garden and swimming pool (Land Use Policy, ).
Unfortunately, tourism is headed for the second option, says Sauri. 鈥淭he trend is to opt for larger lawns and swimming pools鈥� he says. 鈥淥ver the last five years there has been enormous growth in new housing 鈥� most of it single housing built inland.鈥�
Water-hungry pools are the main culprits in both hotels and villas. Without them, either type of residency can be far more water efficient 鈥� down to 189 litres for one-star hotels and 150 litres for a pool-less house.
