Portugal is raising awareness of the months-long drought affecting the country with a campaign that aims to show arrivals at Faro Airport exactly how much water they could help to save during their stay. Now rolling around on the luggage carousel to greet tourists when they step off the plane are six see-through suitcases, each filled with 40 litres of seawater – symbolising the amount of water authorities think tourists could economise when they visit.
The Save Water campaign is also set to reach billboards throughout the Algarve region in the south of Portugal by the end of the year, as well as digital platforms, including in Portugal’s source markets for tourism so that would-be visitors are more clued up about water issues at their destination before they book.
“Fewer pools, more ocean”
“The idea is to mobilise visitors to play an active role in conserving this vital resource, encouraging behaviour that can have positive long-term impacts. Water is crucial for the existence of natural ecosystems, the continuation of communities, and the development of economic activities. In the face of its scarcity and the urgency of the situation, tourism can make a significant contribution and play an important role on the road to a sustainable future for the planet,” authorities behind the project say.
Tying in with Visit Portugal’s forward-looking ‘It’s Futourism’ drive, the initiative asks “tourists of the future to travel sustainably, responsibly, and authentically, ensuring a legacy of well-being for the next generations and the planet.” It also aims to recognise that visitors are coming to Portugal for a fun holiday, not an environmental lecture, using snappy catchphrases such as “fewer pools, more oceans” and “fewer showers, more diving”.
According to Lídia Monteiro, a Board Member for Turismo de Portugal, “this campaign could have focused more on the more restricted issues of water availability, but we deliberately chose to encourage the adoption of behaviours in a surprising, intriguing way, with a bit of humour and that could also arouse curiosity about the Algarve destination. It seeks to highlight what is most relevant in this destination: the ocean.”
16% take-up so far
The promotion at Faro on 23 July was also supported by several government figures and tourism stakeholders, including the Secretary of State for Tourism, Pedro Machado; the President of the Algarve Tourism Board, André Gomes; and, representing ANA Airports, Chief Operating Officer, Chloé Lapeyre. The airport itself is switching to using treated water from the Faro Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) for irrigation, which will save 30% of the water consumption of the supply network, said Lapeyre.
Speaking at the event, Gomes hailed the way “the water challenge in the Algarve has sparked a profound transformation in the tourism sector”, noting the commitment and collaboration of the project’s partners.
But since the campaign was born in this spring, only 110 establishments have in the region have adopted its principles, representing 16% of the market. Those that have committed to participate, however, have already recorded 12% water savings between January and May 2024.
