Drought and water restrictions for hotels and holiday rentals: what applies in Andalusia and the Algarve and how to tell guests (2026)

Updated: 9 November 2026

Water worries guests and neighbours. We read the official drought reports of Spain and Portugal, an Andalusian order and the EU Ecolabel (links at the end). Many news stories describe 2024 measures: we checked what still applies. Where we could not confirm something we say so. This is not legal advice.

Two different indicators

Water scarcity: whether there is enough water to meet demand. This is what triggers restrictions.
Prolonged drought: lack of rain over time. On its own it does not mean cuts to supply.
Scarcity scenarios, from low to high: Normality, Pre-alert, Alert and Emergency.

Spain: Cádiz and Seville on 31 August 2026

According to the latest report of Spain's National Drought Observatory (MITECO) that we read:

Guadalete-Barbate (Cádiz): all units in Normality or Pre-alert for scarcity.
Guadalquivir (Seville and part of Cádiz): all in Normality or Pre-alert, except Guardal, in Alert.
Due to low rainfall, 5 of 6 Guadalete-Barbate units and 14 Guadalquivir units were in prolonged drought.
July 2026 was the driest and hottest since 1961.
We give no reservoir percentages: the report refers them to an annex we did not read.

Andalusia: the Guadalete-Barbate order

The Order of 28 April 2025 (BOJA 8-5-2025) set 225 litres per person per day for urban use in the Guadalete system.
It also cut irrigation by 25% and industry by 10%. The Barbate system had no irrigation limit.
We found no 2026 order replacing it. We cannot confirm it still applies: ask your town hall or water company.
Municipal measures in Seville or Cádiz in 2026: not checked.

Algarve: the 2024 measures and the 2026 situation

Council of Ministers Resolution 80/2024 capped municipal water at 90% of 2023 and asked tourism for 13% less.
It suspended golf and public-garden irrigation with mains water.
Those measures ran until the end of December 2024. We found no official text extending them to 2026.
The official April 2026 report put no basin in meteorological drought. The Algarve's large reservoirs were at normal levels.
New well abstractions remain restricted in Campina de Faro and Querença-Silves.
We have not read official autumn 2026 data. Do not present 2024 measures as current.

Italy and Greece

We have not checked recent official sources on restrictions in Italy or the Greek islands (Cyclades, desalination). Ask your municipality.

Saving water: EU Ecolabel benchmarks

Taps and showers: average flow of 8.5 litres per minute at most (better: showers 7, taps 6).
New toilets: 4.5 litres or less. No continuous flushing in urinals.
Sheets and towels: changed less than daily unless the guest asks.
Pools: cover them at night if heated, or when unused for more than a day.
Irrigation: documented timing and amount, or optimised automatic watering.
Tell guests how to save water and to report leaks.

How to inform guests without greenwashing

Say what you do, with figures: «7 l/min showers», not «sustainable hotel».
Don't use home-made labels that look official (see our guide on Directive 2024/825).
If restrictions apply, say so before booking: pool, garden, times.
Don't claim «no drought» or «water cuts» without an official, dated source.

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Frequently asked questions

Are there water restrictions in Cádiz in 2026?

On 31 August 2026 Guadalete-Barbate was in Normality or Pre-alert. The 2025 order set 225 l per person per day in the Guadalete system; we have not confirmed its current status.

Do the Algarve tourism cuts still apply?

RCM 80/2024 ran until December 2024. We found no official extension to 2026.

What shower flow does the EU Ecolabel recommend?

8.5 l/min average at most; for extra points, 7 l/min for showers and 6 for taps.

Sources

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