Abstract :
The island of Crete, Greece is located in eastern Mediterranean region which is characterized by limited water resources. It hosts more than 6 million of tourists every year who consume large quantities of water during their vacations. The study of the interdependence between water and tourism industry in Mediterranean islands with limited water resources is important for their prosperity. Their nexus in Crete has been investigated based on existing data regarding water consumption and the local tourism industry. The share of direct water use in tourism in the total water consumption in Crete has been estimated and compared with other tourism destinations. Tourism industry affects water resources in Crete while water is a basic resource in tourism industry. The share of direct water demand in tourism to total water consumption in the island, at 3.06%, is above the global average, at 0.6%. The high share of direct water demand in tourism industry to total water consumption in Crete, the expected future increase in tourists’ arrivals and the future reduction of water resources due to climate change indicates that improved management of water resources is necessary to avoid water shortages and water-related conflicts. Our results could be useful to public authorities and private bodies related to tourism industry and water use in the island.
Keywords :
climate change, Crete, Mediterranean, nexus, Tourism, water resourcesReferences :
- Ricart, S., Villar-Navascués, R., Reyes, M., Rico- Amorós, A.M., Hernández-Hernández, M., Toth, E., Bragalli, C., Neri, M. and Amelung, B. Water–tourism nexus research in the Mediterranean in the past two decades: a systematic literature review. International Journal of Water Resources Development, 40(1), 2024, pp. 57-83, DOI: 10.1080/07900627.2023.2207686
- Gossling, S., Peeters, P., Hall, C.M., Ceron, J-P., Dubois, G., Lehmann, L.V. and Scott, D. Tourism and water use: Supply, demand and security. An International Review. Tourism Management, 33, 2012, pp. 1-15. doi:10.1016/j.tourman.2011.03.015
- De Stefano, L. Freshwater and Tourism in the Mediterranean. WWF, 2004. Available at: https://wwfeu.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/medpotourismreportfinal_ofnc.pdf
- Mangion, E. Tourism impact on water consumption in Malta. Occasional Papers on Islands and Small States, 3, 2013, pp. 1-20.https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar//handle/123456789/40509
- Tzanakakis, V.A., Angelakis, A.N., Paranychianakis, N.V., Dialynas,Y.G. and Tchobanoglous, G. Challenges and opportunities for sustainable management of water resources in the island of Crete. Water, 12, 2020, 1538. doi:10.3390/w12061538
- Ricart,S., Villar-Navascues, R., Squitieri, F., Ner, M., Hernandez-Hernandez, M., Toth, E. and Rico-Amoros, A.M. How to reinforce governance in water-tourism nexus research? Updating the hydro social cycle to loop into stakeholder’s roles, interactions and power dynamics. Environmental Research Letters, 20, 2025, 034021. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/adb447
- Lehman, L. Valuing water in dry land tourism regions.WIT Transactions on Ecology and the Environment, 115, 2008. doi:10.2495/ST080211
- Sinha, A., Driha, O. and Balsaloble-Lorente, D. Tourism and inequality in per capita water availability: is the linkage sustainable? Munich Personal RePEc Archive, 2020. https://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/100093/
- Vourdoubas, J. The water-energy-tourism nexus in the island of Crete, Greece. International Journal of Advanced Multidisciplinary Research and Studies, 4(3), 2024, pp. 974-981. https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14394/49544
- Xin, K. and Day, G.J. Water, tourists and community equity: a scenario analysis for destinations in the United States. 2023 TTRA International Conference. https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14394/49544
- Chambwe, M. and Tseane-Gumbi, L.A. The role of water resources in the advancement of tourism development in rural communities. SSRN, 2024. https://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4836937
- Cole, S.K.G., Mullor, E.C., Ma, Y. and Sandang, Y. Tourism, water and gender- An international review of an unexplored nexus. WIREs Water, 7, 2020, e1442.DOI: 10.1002/wat2.1442
- Zhu, K. Impact of water-tourism-ecosystems nexus on the sustainable development of eco-city. Water Supply, 23(5), 2023, 2233.doi: 10.2166/ws.2023.123
- Enriquez, J., Tipping, D.C., Lee, J-J., Vijay, A., Kenny, L., Chen, S., Mainas, N., Holst-Warhaft, G. and Steenhuis, T.S. Sustainable water management in the tourism economy: Linking the Mediterranean’s traditional rainwater cisterns to modern needs. Water, 9, 2017, 868.doi:10.3390/w9110868
- Cao, S., He, Z., Wang, S. and Niu, J. (2023). Decoupling Analysis of Water Consumption and Economic Growth in Tourism in Arid Areas: Case of Xinjiang, China. Sustainability, 15, 2023, 10379. https://doi.org/10.3390/su151310379
- Su, J. Water resources utilization and tourism environment assessment based on water footprint. Open Geosciences, 15, 2023, 20220564. https://doi.org/10.1515/geo-2022-0564
- Florido-Benítez, L. The Priority ofWater Consumption in the Spanish Tourism Industry: A Dilemma for Residents and Researchers. Applied Sciences, 14, 2024, 7125. https://doi.org/10.3390/app14167125.
- Investing in freshwater ecological infrastructure for a resilient tourism economy: A call for action, The Water Wheel, September-October 2020, pp. 34-38.Available at: https://journals.co.za/doi/pdf/10.10520/ejc-waterb_v19_n5_a7
- Sole-Torres, C., AK Matusin, A.M.R. and Halim, N.A. Determinants of water management for sustainable coastal tourist destinations: comparative case study between Spain and Malaysia. Water and Environmental Sustainability, 4(4), 2023, pp. 22-31. DOI: 10.52293/WES.4.4.2231
- Fernandez-Gil, G. and Petrakopoulou, F. Sustainable water generation on a Mediterranean island in Greece. Energies, 12, 2019, 4247. doi:10.3390/en12224247
- MEDSTAT II: “Water and Tourism” pilot study. Eurostat, European Commission, 2009. Available at: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/documents/3888793/5844489/KS-78-09-699-EN.PDF/04c900a4-6243-42e0-969f-fc04f184a8b6
- Roson, R. and Sartori, M. Climate change, Tourism and water resources in the Mediterranean: a general equilibrium analysis, Working Paper Series ‐ ISSN 1973‐0381IEFE ‐ The Center for Research on Energy and EnvironmentalEconomics and Policy at Bocconi University. 2012. Available at: https://repec.unibocconi.it/iefe/bcu/papers/iefewp51.pdf
- Hadjikakou, M., Chenoweth, J. and Miller, G. Estimating the direct and indirect water use of tourism in the eastern Mediterranean.Journal of Environmental Management,114, 2013, pp. 548-556. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2012.11.002
- Tortella, B.D. and Tirado, D. Hotel water consumption at a seasonal mass tourism destination. The case of the island of Mallorca. Journal of Environmental Management, 92, 2011,pp. 2568-2579. doi:10.1016/j.jenvman.2011.05.024
- Global water footprint examined in travel and tourism sector. Water Issues, 2023. Available at: https://wodnesprawy.pl/en/global-water-footprint-examined-in-travel-and-tourism-sector/
- Gossling, S. Tourism and Water, in the book “Tourism and Global Environmental Change”, 1st Edition, 2006, Routledge, London. Available at: https://www.taylorfrancis.com/reader/download/8afc37a9-c3b8-44ad-841f-0a09ae4b51ff/chapter/pdf?context=ubx
- Key figures on incoming tourism, 2025. Bank of Greece.
