Tourist destinations and water policies: public perception of water use

Abstract

Today’s society faces significant challenges related to corporate environmental exploitation. Water hoarding by companies is particularly severe in tourist areas, where inadequate water management and perceived weakness in public policy have led to social and environmental inequalities. The lack of strategic planning and scarce citizen participation have impacted water consumption patterns, favoring the tourism sector. With the objective of analyzing water management in the tourism sector and evaluating the effectiveness of public policies, this study adopted a qualitative, non-experimental and cross-sectional approach. The methodology consisted of conducting focus groups with 135 students from various disciplines at the Autonomous University of the State of Quintana Roo, Playa del Carmen Campus. Techniques such as network map ping, problem classification by priority levels, and discourse analysis were used to identify the main deficiencies in planning and the disconnection between public policies and social needs. Results show that the lack of effective public policies, insufficient infrastructure, and limited citizen participation have contributed to excessive water consumption, prioritizing the economic interests of the tourism industry at the expense of local communities, which face scarcity and vulnerability in accessing water resources. These results highlight the importance of integrating public perception into decision-making processes to achieve a balance between economic development and the preservation of water resources. This study provides key insights for the development of intersectoral strategies aimed at ensuring equitable and sustainable distribution of water.