Water demand in tourism facilities

Abstract

Water represents in the Upper Danube drainage basin a resource that at present is available in sufficient quantity. With regard to climate change it is conceivable that water supply for tourism infrastructure facilities will no longer be possible at the present level. This can affect the operability of these tourism facilities, and, as a consequence of this, the affected regions could suffer serious economic losses. In the context of GLOWA-Danube, the objective of the Tourism research group is to analyse water use by the tourism industry on a small scale within the Upper Danube basin. A supply-oriented actor model was developed to help achieve this goal. To quantify water demand by the tourism industry, the quantities of water required by various infrastructure facilities (e.g. golf courses, ski regions with snowmaking machines, swimming pools) was determined using a study of literature and by consultation with experts. The relevant infrastructure facilities in the study area were compiled for a spatially differentiated representation in DANUBIA. The water demand of tourism infrastructure is concentrated in the Alpine Region and Bavarian Forest (ski areas) and in major cities (Munich, Regensburg, Augsburg) due to the hospitality sector. The water user of golf course and swimming pools is distributed throughout the study area, with some concentration of golf course in the environs of Munich.