Output details

Estimating the direct and indirect water use of tourism in the eastern Mediterranean

The impact of tourism on water resources is poorly understood despite the fact that water scarcity risks limiting tourism development in water scarce regions, with severe economic consequences. Taking the context of the water scarce eastern Mediterranean this paper presents a new methodology to estimate the water use by the tourism sector which distinguishes between direct (local) and indirect (often global) water use, allowing calculation of a ‘water footprint’ for the sector. The method helps the economic return from water resources to be maximized in relation to tourism related use, with potential for wide implementation internationally by tourism authorities.