Authors focus on the impact of tourism on the host community and, in particular, on
residential water demand. The aim of the chapter is to estimate the effect of the presence of
tourists on unofficial structures on the demand of water in the domestic sector, together with
other factors influencing the residential demand for water. By analysing a data set
concerning water consumption in Sardinia, the authors show that in regions where an
important share of tourism is accommodated in holiday homes, the average level of …

The Mediterranean basin is one of the main tourist destinations in the world, and tourism has
been a fundamental factor of economic growth for coastal regions. But just like any other
economic activity, the tourism industry generates a variety of external effects on the economy
and the natural environment, effects that should be properly taken into account in order to
attain socially efficient allocations. Unfortunately, regulatory instruments have often been
weak in controlling the environmental and sustainability problems related to the tourist …