Tourists arriving at Faro airport today found six suitcases full of water (40 litres each) moving along the conveyer belts in the baggage claim area. The suitcases symbolise the amount of water that each tourist can save every day by using this resource more consciously and responsibly. The action is part of the “Save Water” campaign which will be on display until the end of the year on billboards in the Algarve region, on national digital media and in the main tourist markets.
This initiative was attended by the Secretary of State for Tourism, Pedro Machado, the President of the Algarve Tourism Board, André Gomes, Member of the Board of Directors of Turismo de Portugal, Lídia Monteiro, and the Chief Operational Officer of ANA Aeroportos, Chloé Lapeyre.
The Save Water label has already resulted in a 12% saving on water in comparison to last year
This session at Faro airport also included the presentation of the results of water-saving actions in the region. Algarve Tourism Board President André Gomes cited data from ADENE - Agência para a Energia (Energy Agency) to emphasise that tourist resorts participating in the Save Water water efficiency label managed to cut their overall water consumption by 12% between January and May.
So far, 110 tourist resorts have signed up to the Save Water label by registering on the "Commitment to Water Efficiency in the Algarve" platform, 80% of which are already at an advanced stage of implementing measures and are in line with the action plan (figures as at 18 July).
The municipalities with the highest number of members in absolute terms are Albufeira, Loulé, Lagoa and Portimão, and the number of current members represents 31% of the beds available in tourist resorts in the region.
Save Water, a campaign for better water use
The Save Water campaign, presented in the Algarve last March and running until the end of the year, aims to encourage the conscious use of water. The aim is to alert tourists to the importance of adopting good water use practices and to invite them to enjoy their holidays in a more sustainable way, contributing to the effective protection of resources through a conscious and responsible attitude. This attitude is even more relevant in the context of climate change, where water is one of the resources that need to be protected.
