The third monitoring report of the Commitment to Water Efficiency, for the tourism sector, prepared by ADENE, indicates that tourist enterprises in the Algarve region that adhere to the “Save Water” efficiency seal reduced water consumption by 13% in the first months of the year, according to a report by Publituris.

The evolution recorded indicates that, between March 18 and September 30, 2024, there was a 13% reduction in global consumption and a 16% reduction in specific consumption, positive results that contribute to mitigating the problem of water scarcity in the Algarve and reveal an economy direct financial support for tourist developments in the Algarve.

It should be noted that the records for the months of August and September resulted in a slight decrease in the trend towards improving performance (1% less than the reduction recorded on 31 July), whilst still maintaining alignment with the objective of global consumption reduction of 13%.

In the same report, prepared by ADENE, it is noted that 93 tourist enterprises (ET) have joined the platform, out of a total of 650 ET (14%), which represent approximately 30% of the beds available in the region, with the majority of subscribers being hotels.

So far, tourism enterprises have selected close to 2500 measures, around half of which are structuring, with interventions at the level of devices and irrigation systems being the most selected, followed by improvements in the management and maintenance system and equipment. Of the measures adopted, around half have already been implemented.

According to a preliminary analysis of the financial savings associated with water savings, consumption recorded between January and September 2024 has already led to an average saving of 3,400 euros per enterprise, which translates into a potential annual saving of more than seven thousand euros/year, considering that some measures are still being implemented and that energy costs associated with water consumption are not being taken into account.

The water efficiency seal applicable to hotels and other tourist developments is a measure coordinated by the Algarve Tourism Region, in conjunction with Turismo de Portugal, with ADENE having the responsibility for ensuring the monitoring of consumption reported by members on the Commitment to Platform.