The WATOURISM project proposes a set of developments based on the digitization of the water cycle to guide territories towards a sustainable tourism model. Given the context of climate emergency, the risks associated with water are becoming increasingly relevant, not only for population centers but also for economic activities. The aim of the WATOURISM project, which is planned to be developed over 3 years through collaborative work between Agbar, Cetaqua, the University of Girona, and the University of Valladolid, with a total budget of €764k and the creation of 5 new STEM jobs, is to demonstrate the role of water cycle digitization in promoting sustainable tourism, by generating tools and methodologies for decision-making and strategic planning.

To achieve this aim, the project brings several complementary and innovative approaches. The analysis of smart metering data for territorial management represents a pioneering approach that goes beyond traditional applications of water service companies, leveraging advanced data digitization throughout the water cycle to address complex socio-environmental challenges. By harnessing the power of smart metering and artificial intelligence techniques, the project not only improves operational efficiency and regulatory compliance but also unlocks innovative opportunities for territorial management. The integration of smart metering data analysis enables multifaceted applications, such as detecting illegal tourist accommodations, serving as a health alert system, and proactively addressing the needs of vulnerable consumers, among others. This multifunctional approach underscores the innovative nature of the project, highlighting its capacity to revolutionize traditional water management paradigms and generate comprehensive social benefits.

Furthermore, WATOURISM’s emphasis on water footprint management schemes introduces a novel framework for enhancing sustainability within the tourism sector. By providing tools for water footprint reduction and compensation, the project seeks to engage stakeholders in sustainable water management practices and promote awareness of water conservation efforts. Additionally, through public-private collaboration initiatives, WATOURISM aims to catalyze voluntary water footprint compensation projects, fostering stakeholder participation and mitigating the impacts of tourism on water resources.

The agent-based model proposed in WATOURISM represents an innovative approach to the ex-ante evaluation of water demand policies in tourist areas. Unlike traditional approaches based on econometric analysis, the agent-based model allows for a more detailed and comprehensive analysis by considering a variety of variables and changing dynamics in water use. This is achieved by creating detailed simulations that capture the complexities of real-world scenarios.

In summary, WATOURISM represents a transformative effort that integrates cutting-edge technology, policy innovation, and stakeholder collaboration to address the complex challenges facing tourist areas. The project will generate a methodology for detecting anomalous consumption and illegal accommodations, develop an agent-based model methodology to simulate responses to different policies, a toolkit for calculating, reducing, and compensating the water footprint of tourism according to the new Act4water certification, and a roadmap for the industrialization of these solutions and their incorporation into the Dinapsis service portfolio, Agbar’s operational and territorial innovation hub.