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When flying became cheap during the 1960s, hundreds of thousands of Brits could suddenly afford to go abroad for their holidays. Spain was a favourite destination, with hundreds of resorts appearing along the Costa del Sol. Benidorm is perhaps the most notable of these, as during the 1980s it developed a reputation for binge drinking and anti-social behaviour, which put families off going. It is now Malia and Ibiza that are the party destinations for the 18-30s. Having restored its reputation, Benidorm is still expanding, with twelve new hotels and a theme park having recently been built.
However, it is part of a growing crisis which has been described as a ‘time-bomb’ by environmental experts. The showers, swimming pools and golf courses all rely on a dwindling supply of fresh water. Benidorm is dry all year round, and its only fresh water source is mining water stored underground. Just up the coast in Calpe and Denia, water is so scarce that there are tight restrictions on its usage; residents must buy bottled water to drink. In Tanzania, safari lodges use up water that is much needed for the Maasi people and their cattle.
Tourism is the biggest industry the planet has seen, and the fastest growing. However, tourism uses up huge amounts of water; The UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation calculates that 100 tourists consume in 55 days the same amount of water as would produce rice to feed 100 Third World villagers for 15 years. A single luxury hotel in a Third World country can get through 66,000 gallons of water a day in its kitchens, bathrooms and swimming pools and on its lush lawns. An 18-hole golf course in an arid country can use 500,000 gallons a day. Spain is the world’s second most popular tourist destination and Europe’s driest.
But the authorities deny there is a problem. The mayor of Benidorm, Vicente Pérez Devesa, says that his resort has "water, wealth and entertainment; it is the best model of tourism in Europe". Pedro Pastor Rosello, a water councillor for Denia, says: "The negative effect of coastal tourism is virtually nil."
Environmentalists disagree. Dr Jose Luis Rubio, head of the European Society for Soil and Water Conservation, which is linked to Valencia University, says that partly because of tourism, water tables are dropping rapidly along nearly 150 miles of the Mediterranean coast around Benidorm, from Alicante to Castellon.
So it is clear that as consumers, we need to be aware of the impact that our holidays can have on the environment, and to discern which tour operators and holiday packages provide the best deals while taking into consideration their responsibility towards the environment, and the lives of the local population.
Luckily, there are many websites that can help you with this. Responsibletravel.com was launched in 2001 with the backing of Dame Anita Roddick, and recommends responsible tour operators for whatever your needs may be- from budget holidays to romantic weekend breaks. It was one of the first companies to remove the option of ‘offsetting’ your carbon footprint, saying that it distracted people from the real problem; that is that we need to significantly reduce our carbon output. It also gives tips for minimising your impact on the local environment of your destination, which include buying local produce, using water sparingly, and not buying products in which materials from endangered species have been used.
So being an eco-tourist doesn’t necessarily involve camping in the middle of a rainforest eating leaves and drinking rainwater. You can have any type of holiday and still be a responsible tourist. As a student, there is also the option of working or volunteering holidays, which are kinder on the wallet, and have the added bonus of a sense of self satisfaction and achievement.
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