Gotland urges tourists to wash in the Baltic Sea as water shortages hit the Swedish island

Summer strain on water supplies

Gotland, one of Sweden's most popular summer destinations, sees water consumption jump by 30 percent during the holiday season. This year the strain is worse than usual: winter and spring brought little rain, and limestone extraction in the east of the island is consuming large volumes of water. Groundwater and surface-water levels are low across the region.

The appeal to bathers

Regional authorities are promoting an unconventional fix. They say replacing one shower with a dip in the Baltic Sea saves between 60 and 90 litres of water, the amount an average person uses each time. Tourist information points and selected hotels in Visby, the island's main town, now stock a special soap designed for salt water. The product contains coconut oil and honey and is marketed as environmentally safe.

Replacing one shower with a sea bath saves 60 to 90 litres of water.

A beachside demonstration

On one of the island's beaches, officials staged a public demonstration showing residents and tourists how to wash effectively in the sea. They framed the practice not just as a conservation measure but as a unique holiday experience.

Pre-emptive measures in Visby

Already in June, the Visby water utility lowered pressure across the network and shut down several abstraction points. The company acted pre-emptively to avoid deeper shortages later in the summer.

Wider Swedish shortages

The problem is not confined to Gotland. Low surface and groundwater levels are also reported in Skåne, in southern Sweden. Malmö's city government is running its own campaign urging residents and visitors to use water sparingly.