Climate Change & Tourism
Climate Change & Tourism
Any country that relies on a tourist economy will always be subject to many factors out of it’s control. Tourism still secures the most jobs in Spain, even though the country is dealing with a higher the usual unemployment rate. Because of this, the tourism sector has been given priority to be supported in any possible way by the Spanish government. However, there is one big change facing the country that could doom the system if not addressed: Climate change.
At the moment, Spain still has to import $45 billion worth of gas and oil annually, mainly from Algeria and Saudi Arabia, but it is believed it could save a portion of that cost by investing in solar energy with it’s 3,000 hours of sunlight per year. Energy costs are also crucial for the tourism sector, being one of the largest energy consumers and accounting for 15% of GDP.
A lot of energy is consumed in the roughly 750 desalination plants, which pump the salt back into the ocean, thus changing the underwater landscape near the coasts to keep tourist destinations running year-round.
In the north of the country, there's mounting soil erosion along the 3715 miles of coast where 90% of all tourists spend their vacations.
Inigo Losada, research director at the Environmental Hydraulics Institute of Cantabria, warns that vacation homeowners and hotel chains will inevitably feel the effects. Diving will become less attractive for tourists if coral reefs disappear, and the danger of coastal areas being flooded will put a burden on all tourist based companies on the coastline.
Losada says German holiday homeowners in Spain should do the same. "I have no way of knowing whether we'll be able to stop climate change," he warns, indicating that in his opinion some people should already relocate to be on the safe side.
We hope you’ve enjoyed learning about Climate Change & Tourism in Spain! Do you think the reduction of energy consumption will help the impending situation for Spain’s tourist economy? Join the conversation below!