Wednesday, April 23, 2008 - 15:00h
Water use in the tourism sector
A series of measures are being presented to promote the rational use of water in tourist establishments
The Ministry of Innovation, Universities and Enterprise has presented a series of measures to the representatives of Catalonia's tourism sector in order to promote the rational use of water in tourist establishments. Both the Ministry and the sector are implementing an ongoing code of good practices, which foster sustainability and energy efficiency.
Primarily aimed at hotels and campsites, the presented recommendations focus on four specific areas:
Improvement of the facilities' efficiency: to assess and control water consumption with individual meters that make it possible to detect any leaks or malfunctions in the water consumption system at all times.
Training and awareness for the establishments' staff: especially with regard to general cleaning procedures and the facilities' gardens and green areas.
Water saving systems and measurements in the facilities. The systems currently available include: individual meters; inlet water pressure regulators; saving devices for taps, tanks and cleaning procedures; saving systems for green areas; saving systems for cooling equipment; rainwater collection systems; reuse systems for excess swimming pool water; and greywater reuse systems, amongst others.
Raising customer awareness (without adversely affecting their standards of comfort): involve customers and offer them the opportunity to play an active role (for example, providing them with the option of not changing the sheets and towels every day).
