In an extraordinary drought and with the high season just around the corner, nine out of 10 accommodations in the main Valencian tourist destinations have already implemented measures to save water. A particularly relevant figure in a context of "extraordinary drought" like the current one, recently declared in the Júcar basin. The conclusions are part of a larger study, which has a sample of 130 five-, four- and three-star Valencian hotels, in which the technology company Bioscore has confirmed that hotel companies are making "great efforts" to address the drought. despite the fact that they often do not communicate it clearly to their clients.
"One of the struggles we have with hoteliers is to communicate more about the efforts they make because the user has to perceive what is being done," highlights Víctor Monzón, director of Bioscore, who explains that 35% of German tourists already They filter their hotel search by sustainability criteria. This gesture is also beginning to be made by British tourists, the capital on the Alicante coast. The adoption of this type of measures in the accommodation sector has been implemented for years, but in recent years it has accelerated, they point out.
And it is this growing trend that has prompted the Cluster of Innovative Companies for Tourism of the Valencian Community (ADESTIC) to prepare a study whose conclusions show that accommodations in the three Valencian provinces with water control systems generate savings of water between 30 and 40%. The average consumption can be reduced to 120 liters per day per person, depending on the type of accommodation, size and season of the year, the same report states.
The study, which shows the ranking of the tools adopted by establishments in Alicante, Valencia and Castellón to reduce water consumption during tourists' overnight stays, places the control of water use in first place, according to 96% of the accommodations in the three provinces consulted.
This is followed by regular water recording and measurement, which is done by 90%, having efficient toilets (80%), carrying out periodic checks to ensure the efficient operation of water equipment (79%) and the installation of smart cisterns in public bathrooms (65% do it).
But there is more: smart cisterns in the rooms (59%), taps in common areas with proximity sensors or timers (44%) and automatic systems that control the moment, frequency and time of irrigation (30%) . In last place is the calculation of the water footprint, which is carried out by 12% of establishments, but which is increasing.
The study does not yet include the analysis of savings and reuse of pool water, but the Bioscore platform is working on a pilot on the management of the resource in swimming pools in which the accommodations of the Senator hotel group, the Hotel Poseidón Resort in Benidorm or the Capfun El Escorial campsite, as well as the Aquopolis water park in Villanueva de la Cañada, in Madrid.
Bioscore has worked in recent weeks with the hotels in Lloret de Mar, a municipality where, due to the drought in Catalonia, hoteliers have bought a desalination plant to fill swimming pools. "We still do not have conclusive data, but there is a very great interest in this topic and many initiatives are already being carried out in the Valencian Community that are directly related to the use of water outdoors, such as in water parks, where makes a more striking use," explains Monzón.
The water saving measures applied by hotels are ahead of any official measure, since in the Valencian Community, despite the alarm due to "extraordinary drought" in the Júcar basin, there are no restrictions in progress. However, it is recommended to activate savings protocols, as the Júcar Hydrographic Confederation invited to do a few weeks ago due to the situation of water shortage in recent months.
This Friday the Valencia headquarters of the CHJ will host an information day to address "what we talk about when we talk about drought" in which the interested City Councils will be informed of the current situation of prolonged drought and where experiences in the urban area will be addressed. with specific examples such as that of the Xàbia City Council.
