The Travel Industry Cuts Down on Water Usage Worldwide

Total water intensity by global Travel & Tourism continues to decrease as the sector continues to grow, said the ‘Water Roadmap for Travel & Tourism’ report from the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC). 

Despite being one the fastest growing sectors, accounting for one in 10 jobs globally and contributing 10.4% of global GDP in 2019, Travel & Tourism’s water usage ranged between 3.5% and 5.8% of global available freshwater, in 2021 and 2019 respectively.

While this is a lower share than other key sectors, such as agriculture and food, which accounted for 70% of global water usage, there is more work to be done as growing water scarcity has become one of the most pressing challenges for sustainable development. 

Today, over 2.2 billion people do not have access to safe drinking water, while 4.2 billion do not have access to safe sanitation services. Water is a vital natural resource, sustaining life on earth, making it an essential asset that must be protected. 

The report highlights that further progress can be made if Travel & Tourism stakeholders take a series of actions, and sustainable water practices are implemented globally.

In a collaborative effort, WTTC worked with Accenture and Oxford Economics to leverage their expertise in data analysis, best practices, and proven methodologies, providing a framework to help the global travel and tourism sector set water targets, reduce their water footprint and increase water resilience.

The data is a result of to the partnership between WTTC and the Saudi-based Sustainable Tourism Global Centre. 

According to the research, from 2010 to 2019, Asia Pacific, Americas and the Middle East saw their Travel & Tourism water usage increase, while experiencing significant growth in international arrivals. Europe and Africa saw a yearly increase in international arrivals of 5% and 4% respectively between 2010 to 2019 but experienced a 1% decline in water use over the same period.

This achievement highlights the opportunities within the Travel & Tourism sector to further reduce water usage and take further steps towards the SDG 6 goals of the global water action agenda.