Water scarcity 'will hamper tourism growth'

Muscat: Flourishing tourism in Oman and the rest of the Arab region is challenged by the scarcity of water resources, warned a top official at the water department in Oman.

The warning came during the opening speech at the two-day International Workshop on Water Demand Management in Urban Areas in the Light of Tourism Development, which opened on Monday.

Earlier, the UN World Tourism Organisation had predicted more than seven per cent annual growth in tourism industry in the Middle East.

"Scarcity of water may hinder tourism growth in the future and at the same time tourists have their impact on water due to the increase in water consumption and lack of awareness of water conservation among tourists, particularly those coming from countries where water is abundant," said Engineer Zahir Bin Khalil Al Suleimani, Director General of Water Resources Affairs at the Ministry of Regional Municipality, Environment and Water Resources (MRMEWR).

Suleimani made the remarks during his opening speech at the International Workshop on Water Demand Management in Urban Areas in the Light of Tourism Development, which opened on Monday at the Crown Plaza Hotel here.

He said that water demand management had become indispensable particularly in view of the rapidly growing population, the need for food and water, the widening water gap, the imbalance between water supply and demand, the increasing levels of pollution and salinity, the climatic change, the frequent drought periods and the high competition for available water resources.

"Quick measures are needed to keep a balance between supply and demand and to address water problems encountered by many countries," he said.

He added that one of the main problems was the high demand for water during tourism seasons especially in view of the rapidly growing tourism sector.