Catalonia is marked in deep red on the Spanish weather service Aemet's map, which shows the amount of rainfall over the last three years. Never since the data began to be collected has the region faced such a dry period. Not even the recent rains have been able to change the situation.
The region of Andalusia, in the south of the country, is also affected by drought. Similarly, water shortages have hit the Balearic Islands and the Canary Islands. The problem is precisely affecting Spain's main tourist regions.
However, it's no surprise if the Spanish tourism sector becomes increasingly the target of criticism, since tourists consume so much water. Dante Maschio, spokesman for the Catalan association Water is Life, which has been fighting for better water management in Catalonia for years, believes that the sector should be forced to take drastic measures to deal with the problem.
"The actions taken so far to reduce consumption and tourism have been too cautious," he observes: "The sector has extensive freedom."
He argues that in cases of emergency - such as now - particularly water-intensive industries should be forced to stop their activities completely. "We don't just have a lack of rainfall," he stressed. "We have a structural problem." The region's water resources have been exploited mercilessly for many years.
High consumption among tourists
Julio Barea, a geologist and water resources specialist at Greenpeace, is also critical of the tourism industry.
"If there are restrictions on water consumption for ordinary people, there should be even more for tourists," he says.
In the golf resorts used by tourists, for example, per capita water consumption is ten times higher than the average. Recently, the Andalusian government exempted hotels from the ban on filling swimming pools in regions particularly affected by droughts. "This is complete nonsense," criticizes Barea.
Catalonia has also imposed this ban in the regions worst hit by the drought, such as Lloret de Mar, one of the main tourist spots on the Costa Brava, northwest of Barcelona. For the hotel sector, this was seen as a catastrophe. "Tourists just want to relax by the pool," says Enric Dotras, president of the local hotel association.
To ensure that tourists didn't spend the summer dry - or stop traveling to the region - the entrepreneurs got together and bought a desalinator for 1.5 million euros.
No bathtubs in hotels
Dotras considers the criticism of the tourist industry to be exaggerated and highlights various efforts the sector has made in recent years to save water.
For example, many hotels have eliminated bathtubs, since showers use less water. In many cases, there are incentives for tourists to do without having their towels and bed linen changed daily.
Some hotels have installed additional water circuits so that toilet flushes use processed water. Tourism in Lloret de Mar accounts for 90% of the local economy and generates 12,000 jobs.
The sector's great importance to the Spanish economy is why politicians are reluctant to impose austerity measures on the sector. The industry accounts for 12% of Spain's Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
More than 85 million foreign tourists traveled to Spain in 2023, a figure never recorded before. This places the country as the second most popular destination in the world, only behind France.
Catalonia alone registered 18 million visitors, which leaves the region in first place in the country, ahead of the Balearic Islands, the Canary Islands and Andalusia.
One liter in four is wasted
The main reason for the current crisis is poor resource management, explains Cels García, professor of geography at the Whaling University in Mallorca. "The Mediterranean region has always alternated between dry and wet periods. Droughts are a natural phenomenon here," he explains.
For this reason, there must be planning. It's important to use desalination plants during periods of heavy rainfall, so that the underground water reserves can recover. However, the exact opposite is happening.
As soon as the rains return, the systems are closed, since water produced in this way is much more expensive than underground water.
In Catalonia, very little has been invested in infrastructure, such as the renovation of sanitation systems. One in four liters of water is wasted due to deteriorated pipes. The Balearic Islands and Andalusia are experiencing a similar situation.
More than a dozen new desalination plants in Catalonia should help alleviate the situation. The regional government plans to build one of these in the port of Barcelona. "This is a sensible solution," says Cels García, with the caveat that these systems should not be used to allow an increase in tourism.
That, however, is exactly what is happening in Spain. In the first three months of the year, more than 16 million foreign tourists arrived in the country - 17% more than in the same period in 2023.
