In Developing Countries, Tourists Using Up to 16 Times More Water than Locals

It has been widely and somewhat naively accepted by the general public that tourism is nothing but beneficial for developing countries. As many of us have come to see firsthand, some of the most beautiful places in the world are also the setting of some of the world’s worst poverty. The notion that “tourism brings money” to poor countries seems to scratch that little itch of guilt that tourists have about enjoying a lavish getaway mere meters away from a thatch-roof hut.

While it all sounds neat and tidy on paper, it has become apparent that the devil is in the details. Hotels and resorts have only very little figurative trickle-down effect for money flow, and even less literal trickle-down when it comes to ample fresh water.

While tourists are enjoying swimming pools, multiple showers per day, fresh drinking water and green golf courses maintained by complex sprinkler systems, locals are surviving off the bare dregs of the water supply.

In resort towns in Bali, Indonesia and Nungwi , Zanzibar, research has shown that tourists are running up to 16 times more water than locals, and the water that actually does get to the mouths of destitute locals is often contaminated.

3 locals died in a Zanzibar resort town after an outbreak of cholera. Many attributed the spread of the disease to the poor quality of local water.

Resorts have shown little sympathy to the local thirst, as many hotels have employed security guards to protect and monitor fresh water tanks to prevent theft or sabotage.

This is an issue for the governments of countries that are extremely dependant on their tourism industry. Many elected officials lobby for resorts as a way to bring revenue to developing countries, but the local sentiment seems to be that distribution of revenue and facilities is extremely unfair and puts the community in the backseat to the money-making juggernaut that is the tourism industry. 

While it’s natural to feel that you deserve to live in excess when you travel to an all-inclusive resort, it’s also important to be aware of how these resort towns are affecting the local lifestyle, for better or for worse, before choosing a getaway location.