Tourism and leisure sectors in France commit to water saving measures

The French government has announced wide-ranging water-saving action plans for the country’s tourism and leisure sectors.

Measures including the appointment of a “water specialist”, better monitoring of consumption, and raising public awareness will contribute to the national objective of reducing water consumption by 10% by 2030, an initiative launched two years ago by Emmanuel Macron.

The plans de sobriété hydrique (water sobriety plans) cover three sectors: tourist accommodation and catering; outdoor sports and activities; and leisure, attraction and cultural facilities, according to a press release from the Ministry.

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Plans include the integration of companies into local water management bodies, the creation of a water management observatory, the implementation of tools to monitor key indicators (such as consumption and leakage alerts) and the creation of awareness-raising tools including an ‘eco-gestures’ manual.

335 million cubic metres of water per year

A study by the Direction Générale des Entreprises, tourism activities account for 335 million cubic metres of water use each year, the biggest being the accommodation sector (59%, or 197 million m³), followed by the catering sector (27% of water consumption, or 89 million m³), then snowmaking (9% of total consumption, or 29.1 million m³) and golf (3% of total consumption, or 12.3 million m³).

The snow industry will commit to a 10% reduction in “water withdrawal per hectare of slopes equipped with artificial snow”, while the golf industry has set itself a target of using “100% of water unfit for consumption in golf facilities”.

“We need to stand united in the face of climate change, distribute tourist flows more evenly and preserve our natural resources, starting with water,” said Tourism Minister Nathalie Delattre, who will chair the Tourism Sector Committee that will monitor deployment of the plans.

Mme Delattre also announced the 25 winners of an Atout France competition for committed tourism organisations to receive government funding of up to €50,000, plus technical guidance, for pilot projects in sustainable water management.

The funds awarded, including to Domaine de Marlioz in Aix-les-Bains (which will reduce its water consumption by 20% in three years), golf courses and hotel groups, are based on concrete actions such as reducing consumption, raising public awareness, intelligent monitoring of consumption, rainwater recovery, and training for employees and tourism service providers.

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