Costa del Sol hotels assure holidaymakers there will be no water supply issues this summer

Despite concerns surrounding possible water shortages, hotel owners have said bookings are going at a better rate this year than 2023 and have not recorded any cancellations for the summer in the face of the drought

Pilar Martínez

Malaga

Monday, 12 February 2024, 15:37

There will be enough water supply for holidaymakers for the duration of summer, hotels along the Costa del Sol have said.

Andalucía's drought crisis has made international headlines, putting at risk tourism in Malaga province this summer. The sector has not only become aware of the urgency of adopting measures to save water resources, but is also investing in the extension or construction of new tanks to ensure tourists will not be affected by restrictions. "We are able to withstand up to 24 hours of restrictions with a hotel in full operation," the Aehcos hotels association of the Costa del Sol said.

Malaga hotels, with more than 111,500 beds across the province, accommodated 6.2 million tourists last year, which generated 21.3 million overnight stays. Despite concerns surrounding possible water shortages, hotel owners have said bookings are going at a better rate this year than 2023 and have not recorded any cancellations for the summer in the face of drought.

Aehcos president José Luque said most of the province's hotels have water tanks, and those that do not are working to install them. The tanks make it possible to withstand up to 24 hours of restrictions with the hotel in operation, he added. Hotels are also installing filters to reduce consumption and planting gardens that do not require a lot of watering.

Full swimming pools

All hotels will have their swimming pools full and will be completely operational throughout the summer, Aehcos also said.

Aehcos vice-president Javier Hernández said that water tanks will allow tourists to shower at any time, even if there are night-time water cuts. "These tanks are refilled daily before any possible restrictions are applied, so it will have no impact on tourists," he said.

Hernández also pointed out measures are being prepared to raise awareness among tourists of water scarcity in the region. "We have been working on this task for decades, ever since we started asking people to avoid washing towels every day. Now we will have to insist on reducing water consumption in the shower or turning off the tap while brushing teeth. It will be a campaign with basic but key measures," he said.

Reducing consumption

Manuel Villa, CEO of Malaga-based company Gluon, pointed out more hotels have started to measure water demand since the start of this year. José Luis Urrea, from Calcat group, has been involved in water-related engineering projects for 25 years and said he had also noticed the same demand. "We are overwhelmed with requests from the hotel sector on the Costa del Sol to install technology that allows us to reduce water consumption by reducing the flow rate of taps, showers or cisterns without affecting the comfort of tourists," he said.

The technology they are installing makes it possible to reduce pressure of the taps to less than four litres per minute, when normal use is between eight and fourteen litres per minute, he added. In the shower, where the normal flow rate is 15 or 20 litres per minute, the technology reduces it to less than six litres per minute. Urrea said hotels are investing 15,000 euros on average, with these hotels set to save 55,000 euros per year as a result.

Junta preparing 50 million euros worth of aid

The Junta de Andalucía is preparing a range of urgent measures which will involve a line of incentives worth more than 50 million euros aimed at hotels, restaurants, leisure, sports facilities, cultural and active tourism and conference centres, according to sources from the administration. Details will be made public in around two months.

Top 50

Esta funcionalidad es exclusiva para suscriptores.

Reporta un error en esta noticia