How tourism can contribute to efficient and responsible water management: the FITURNEXT Challenge 2026

FITUR is looking for good tourism practices for the seventh edition of the FITURNEXT Observatory, the initiative to promote sustainable and regenerative tourism. The 2026 Challenge is framed around how tourism can contribute to efficient and responsible water management, aligned with various United Nations Sustainable Development Goals that aim to promote the right to clean and healthy water, health and wellbeing, climate action and responsible production and consumption.

Any initiative that promotes a balance between water management and tourism and water sustainability can sign up on this form until 31 August. The selected projects, following the criteria of a replicability barometer and an impact barometer, will be awarded during the International Tourism Trade Fair (FITUR) in January 2026.

Facts and the importance of efficient water management in tourism

In many countries, water pollution is a challenge for human and environmental health. According to UN data, today more than one billion people still lack access to safe drinking water and only 0.5% of the world's water is usable and accessible freshwater. The global urban population facing water scarcity is expected to double from 930 million in 2016 to 1700-2400 million people in 2050, leading to an imminent risk of a global water crisis.

Likewise, water consumption is much higher in tourist areas: an average resident consumes 127 litres per day, while a tourist consumes between 450 and 800 litres per day. To address this situation, FITURNEXT is focusing its next edition on researching tourism initiatives that contribute to responsible water consumption and reduce water stress.

The three categories for awarding initiatives

The call is open to any company, public administration, organisation or project that promotes sustainable water use in the tourism sector and seeks to make visible and inspire other destinations that want to improve their relationship with water resources with their replicable models. Initiatives can be entered in three categories:

• Destinations and other territories: Aimed at public administrations and territorial bodies to implement innovative strategies in the sustainable management of the water cycle.
• HORECA and transport sector: Aimed at accommodation, catering and transport companies that apply solutions to optimise the use of water in their tourism services.
• Other agents in the tourism value chain: For travel agencies, operators, tourism experience companies and other entities with tools or initiatives that promote the responsible use of water in the industry.

Thus, initiatives that fit into one of these categories have the opportunity to form part of the FITURNEXT Observatory and be recognised as one of the sector's best practices. The winning and finalist projects will participate in the activities that will take place at the FITUR 2026 stand and in subsequent actions, benefiting from the visibility provided by being part of the FITURNEXT community, thanks to its impact on the media and the different synergies generated among its participants.