ABSTRACT

This paper analyses the water-energy nexus (WEN) in hotels and recreational activities of Benidorm, a mass tourism resort on the Spanish Mediterranean coast. A survey was administered to a sample of three- and four-star hotels to estimate (1) water and energy consumption; (2) energy consumption for water uses, and (3) trade-offs between water and energy. Quantitative data was complemented with selected interviews with hotel managers and staff. A strong correlation was found between water and non-renewable energy consumption despite the presence of solar panels in hotels. Hotels with large restaurants (>250 seats) had higher water and energy consumption while spa facilities and lawn areas were positively correlated with energy consumption per guest night. Energy used for water increased according to hotel category. We estimate energy used for water oscillating approximately between 104 and 368 kWh/m³ for hotels and between 21 and 63 kWh/m³ for a waterpark. The interviewees revealed little familiarity with WEN despite its potential to achieve water and energy savings. Unsustainable trade-offs between energy and water were found in salty groundwater extraction and disposal for several hotels and for the waterpark. On the positive side, the use of biomass boilers proved to be highly efficient.

摘要

本文分析了西班牙地中海沿岸的大众旅游胜地贝尼多姆的酒店和休闲活动中的水能关系 (WEN)。对三星级和四星级酒店样本进行了一项调查，以估计 (1) 水和能源消耗；(2) 用水的能源消耗，以及 (3) 水和能源之间的权衡。定量数据与对酒店经理和员工的精选访谈进行了补充。尽管酒店中存在太阳能电池板，但在水和不可再生能源消耗之间发现了很强的相关性。拥有大型餐厅（>250 个座位）的酒店的水和能源消耗较高，而水疗设施和草坪面积与每晚客人的能源消耗呈正相关。用于水的能源根据酒店类别有所增加。^酒店为3 ，水上乐园为21 至 63 kWh/m ³。受访者表示，尽管 WEN 有可能实现节水和节能，但他们对 WEN 并不熟悉。在几家酒店和水上乐园的咸地下水提取和处理中发现了能源和水之间不可持续的权衡。从积极的方面来看，生物质锅炉的使用被证明是高效的。