The Water-energy-tourism Nexus in the Island of Crete, Greece

Abstract

Mediterranean islands are popular tourism destinations visited by millions of tourists every year while their natural resources are limited and often unable to support their growing tourism industry. The interrelation of tourism industry with energy and water resources in the island of Crete, Greece has been studied. The current status of tourism industry in Crete is reviewed as well as the availability of energy and water resources in the island. It has been estimated that the direct use of water in hotels is at 2.71 M3 per tourist arrival while the energy consumption in hotels is at 124.55 KWh per tourist arrival. However, the indirect use of water by tourists is higher than the direct use while the energy consumption in tourists’ transportation is significantly higher than the consumption in their accommodation. Under normal hydrological conditions sufficient water resources can be supplied to local hotels and tourism accommodation facilities while adequate electricity can be also supplied to them. However, in order to avoid future water deficit in Crete which is going to adversely impact the local tourism industry several measures should be taken including: Water conservation measures in agriculture and in other sectors, water desalination, recycle of gray water and better management of the existing water resources. The abundant renewable energy resources of Crete should be used for heat and power generation in hotels. The results could be useful to stakeholders of the local tourism industry, to policy makers and to local authorities and residents.