Wednesday, June 26, 2024 Barcelona’s tourism sector is transforming in response to the city’s most severe drought in centuries. As visitors arrive, they’re immediately met with signs urging water conservation at the airport. This sets a different tone than the usual festive ambiance of beaches and streets they might expect.
Despite recent rainfall alleviating some of the drought’s effects, the threat remains. Catalonia has been grappling with these conditions for three years, marking the worst drought in two centuries. This has spurred a wave of innovation within the hospitality industry to adapt to decreasing rainfall predictions, especially relevant to the Mediterranean region.
Efforts to conserve water are evident in local accommodations. For example, St. Christopher’s Inn near Plaza Catalunya, which hosts thousands of international visitors annually, utilizes a water recycling system.
The system recovers water from showers and sinks, repurposing it for cleaning and toilet use. Moreover, the hostel has introduced a fee of €1 per towel change and installed push-button showers that limit water flow to conserve resources. Other hotels in Barcelona have also adopted sustainable practices.
The Hilton Diagonal Mar, for instance, uses seawater for its swimming pools, extending the water’s usability. Similarly, the Majestic Hotel & Spa Barcelona has overhauled its shower systems to significantly reduce water usage from 40 liters per minute to just nine liters by inco.
