Climage Change and Tourism

The growing international awareness about the fast pace of climate ‎change taking place on our ‎planet, together with the impacts that such ‎changes are having on the natural environment, on ‎humans and their ‎economic activities have become evident.

For tourism, climate change is not a remote event, but a phenomenon ‎that already affects the ‎sector and certain destinations, in particular, ‎mountain regions and coastal destinations among ‎others. At the same ‎time, the tourism sector is contributing to greenhouse gas emissions ‎‎‎(GHG), especially through the transport of tourists.‎ ‎

Climate is an essential resource for tourism, and especially for the ‎beach, nature and winter ‎sport tourism segments. Changing climate and ‎weather patterns at tourist destinations and ‎tourist generating countries ‎can significantly affect the tourists’ comfort and their travel ‎decisions.

Changing demand patterns and tourist flows will have impacts on tourism ‎businesses ‎and on host communities, as well as knock off effects on ‎related sectors, such as agriculture, ‎handicrafts or construction.

In small island states and developing countries, where tourism is a major ‎economic activity, any ‎significant reduction in tourist arrivals will have ‎serious employment impacts and generate ‎further poverty.
 

Since the 1st International Conference on Climate Change and Tourism, ‎convened by UNWTO ‎in Djerba, Tunisia in 2003, a growing body of ‎knowledge has been generated addressing the ‎complex relationships ‎between the tourism sector and climate change with important research ‎‎activities on this subject

There is now a wide recognition of the urgent need for the tourism ‎industry, national ‎governments and international organizations to develop ‎and implement strategies to face the ‎changing climate conditions and to ‎take preventive actions for future effects, as well as to ‎mitigate tourism’s ‎environmental impacts contributing to climate change. 

Credit:    UNWTO