## 4 Findings and Discussion
### Water Footprint of Spain
However, this study also provides information about the average consumption of water in litres per person per day by the autonomous community in Spain. The purpose of obtaining these data is to compare the water consumption among regions of Spain and their capabilities to implement actions in order to save on water use. In 2022, the Autonomous Community of Cantabria had the largest average consumption of water (165 L) per person and day in Spain, followed by the Commidad Valenciana (157), Castilla and Leon (155), Murcia (150), Andalusia (138), Asturias (136), and Aragon (134), among others, as we can see in Figure 5.  
It is quite astounding that Cantabria, Comunidad Valenciana, Castilla and Leon, Asturias, Madrid, and Aragon regions have a high consumption of water when these are not included in the emergency Spanish areas of water scarcity. Although there are three EU countries that exceed the average of 200 L per person and day, like Switzerland with 300 L, Italy (211), and Portugal (203) in 2020, Slovakia is the country with the lowest water consumption in Europe, only 78 L [81]. Yet, these figures are well above between 15 and  
Figure 5: Average consumption of water litres per person and day by the autonomous community in Spain (2022). Source. Our elaboration from [54]. 25 L of water per person and day recommended by the World Health Organisation [82], or the minimum volume of 50 L suggested by [PERSON] [83]. The price of water services should be aligned with the residents' ability to pay; however, in practical terms, this is not always feasible. For instance, car washing, garden watering, and swimming pool water consumption are luxury uses for some residents, and they consume a lot of water. The rest of the lower-income households that only cover their basic needs must pay the price of water services as a luxury. The water consumption of the working class is not the same as that of hotels, restaurants, camping, water and amusement parks, or even people living in large houses with swimming pools and outdoor gardens. The high concentration of tourists between July and August in Spanish tourist destinations increases the water demand during this period, provoking strong pressure on water resources as well as water restrictions for Spanish residents [37]. Findings suggest that Spanish households and their residents are suffering severe water restrictions, and it would not be fair that they assume all the consequences that this entails when the water consumption by tourists in Spanish hotels can reach between 400 and 1000 L per guest per night [18; 56; 84], as we can see in Table 2, while the average water consumption of a Spanish household is 133 L. These findings coincide with those by [PERSON] [48] who found hotels in Zanzibar use more water than households. Residents cannot afford to pay the same price for water as tourism companies because residents need to cover their basic needs of personal hygiene and food. On the contrary, tourists' water consumption (understood as accommodation facilities and services for personal needs) can be doubled or tripled in developed countries compared with domestic consumption [85; 86]. The fact that the tourism industry is the main economic engine of Spain does not mean that government bodies give top priority and preference to this sector over the basic needs of their citizens. For instance, Andalusian residents used around 125 L per day in 2023, and tourists consumed over 350 L, putting an increased strain on water supply in Andalusia [92]. In the case of the Balearic Islands, tourists consume over half the water available. As stated by [PERSON] et al. [93], tourists increase water use per registered resident, but on top of that, they use more water on average than residents throughout the year. For this reason, [PERSON] et al. [94] argue that the water bill should be established in line with the proportion of income that a household spends to satisfy its basic water needs. The water bills should not exceed 3-5% of a household's income [95].