Water Sobriety in Outdoor Hospitality
01.Brief
Faced with the increasing scarcity of water resources, the outdoor hospitality sector must adapt its practices. Along the coastline, campsites and local authorities share the same challenges: balancing attractiveness and sobriety. The Communauté d’Agglomération Hérault Méditerranée and BlueThauLab have initiated, with the support of designers and local businesses, a collective approach to imagine concrete, water-saving practices that can be implemented today.
Key figures
- Water consumption estimation of a campsite without a swimming pool 60 to 160L/person
- Goal set by the government Reduce water withdrawals by 10% by 2030
- Estimated number of nights spent camping in Agde 8.3 millions of nights/year
02.Observe, Convey, Project
We developed a methodology in which all participants—designers, campsite managers, and local stakeholders—took part in field interviews. These exchanges helped identify inspiring practices from individuals and companies indirectly related to the issue (dry-toilet manufacturers, thermal bath managers, low-tech experts, etc.). The good practices and barriers identified were then shared during an extended restitution phase. This long timeframe allowed for in-depth reflection, leading to ten possible directions for evolution, ranging from the most pragmatic to the most ambitious.
"Swimming pools can represent up to 25% of a campsite’s total water consumption."
03.Keys to Mobilization
- Visual restitution to foster discussion.
- Individual support to highlight each actor’s contribution.
- A shared framework to design scalable solutions.
≈10 organizations involved in the process.
10 evolution scenarios formulated.
3 immediately actionable pathways identified.
Results
Positive impact
A complete ecosystem of stakeholders was mobilized around a shared vision: co-designing water-efficient practices.
Simplicity
Design tools helped structure a clear, shared method that made the prospective scenarios easier to read and to communicate.
Satisfaction
All participants expressed a genuine desire to go further and turn the explored directions into concrete solutions in the field.
