Pandemic drastically pulls down power, water consumption in tourism industry
THE tourism industry’s consumption of water and electricity plummeted due to the pandemic in 2020, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
The PSA data showed the tourism industry’s water consumption contracted 84.6 percent, while electricity consumption declined 80.9 percent in 2020.
“[The] global pandemic restricting movement of people pulled down water and energy
consumption of tourism industry in 2020,” PSA said.
Water consumption of the tourism sector reached 109.62 million cubic meters (m3) in 2020, This was a decline of 84.6 percent from the 711.61 million m3 in 2019.
PSA data also showed the share of tourism to total water consumption of the economy was 2.5 percent in 2020, lower than the average share of 14.8 percent from 2012 to 2019.
From 2012 to 2019, PSA said the average water consumption of the tourism industry was at 440.99 million m3.
Meanwhile, PSA data showed the energy consumption of tourism was only 3,533.24 kilotonnes of oil equivalent (KTOE). This was an 80.9-percent contraction compared to 18,534.47 KTOE recorded in 2019.
The energy consumption also accounted for 4.6 percent of the total energy consumption of the economy from the use of electricity and petroleum and other fuel products for the year.
Data showed between 2012 and 2019, the average energy consumption of tourism from the use of electricity and petroleum and other fuel products was 11,264.48 KTOE.
PSA said this accounted for an average share of 16.6 percent to the total energy consumption of the economy from the use of electricity and petroleum and other fuel products in the same period.
As a result, PSA data showed that carbon dioxide (CO2) emission from the use of electricity and petroleum and other fuel products of the tourism sector was 4,475.62 Gigagrams (Gg), a 79.1-percent contraction from the 21,372.91 Gg recorded in 2019.
CO2 emissions resulting from the use of electricity and petroleum and other fuel products by the tourism sector posted an average of 13,292.94 Gg or 19.7-percent share of the total CO2 emission of the economy from 2012 to 2019.
The PSA data is based on the preliminary estimates on Measuring the Sustainability of Tourism (MST) in the country.
The MST provides information on water consumption; energy consumption from the use of electricity and petroleum and other fuel products; and carbon dioxide emission derived from energy use from inbound and domestic tourism activities.
It aims to provide useful information toward promoting a suitable balance among the economic, sociocultural, and environmental aspects of tourism development to ensure its long-term sustainability.