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Disappearing beaches, extreme heat, hurricanes, melting ski slopes all affect the tourism industry. Although not to the extent that was intended.
Anyone who wants to see the consequences of climate change first hand only needs to take a trip to Majorca’s main beach, Es Trenc. For many years there have been bunkers there, built by dictator Franco. Originally they were built well hidden in the middle of the dune landscape. Today, they can be seen from afar in the middle of the beach and testify to how the sea level rise is changing the area. According to scientists, this wonderful beach since 1979 has narrowed to 40 meters in some places. This is not the only case on the island: If global warming continues as predicted, dozens of beaches will disappear from flooding.
Record summer despite shrinking beach
“We are talking about a huge loss of land in the Mediterranean region,” says Thomas Dworak, coordinator of a study by the German Environment Agency on the effects of climate change on tourism. A worrying prospect on an island like Majorca, which thrives mainly on beach and sun tourism. However, until now the disappearance of the beaches has not yet affected the statistics of vacationers. Majorca is heading for a record summer. In 2022, more tourists will visit the island than perhaps ever before.
“There is still little evidence that people change the way they travel because of climate change,” says Dworak. Although warnings about the consequences for the tourism industry have been increasing for many years, there are only a few studies that show the concrete effects. “Many Europeans are creatures of habit,” says Dworak. Anyone who has been going on summer holidays to Italy for 20 years will continue to do so. Events like the accident in the Dolomites, where eleven people lost their lives in early July, seem to make people think only for a while.
So far these have been isolated events
At least this is how Dagmar Lund-Durlacher, professor of sustainable tourism at Modul University in Vienna, sees the situation. “If there will be constant floods or avalanches in the same places, then this will affect tourism there.” But so far this has not happened, as they have been isolated events. “It is known that the risk exists, but it still cannot be linked to any specific region”. The Caribbean is an exception, as shown by the strong tropical storm that destroyed the Bahamas in September 2019 and, as a result, tourism in the island state.
The ski tourism industry is particularly exposed to climate change – rising temperatures reduce snow safety. “Here is the greatest opportunity to prove the connection between climate change and tourism”, says Thomas Dworak. “Because if there is no snow in a region for several years, then no more vacationers come for skiing.” The problem is well known, especially in the Alps. However so far it can still be hidden thanks to modern technology. “In most cases snow is guaranteed thanks to artificial snowmaking,” says Arnold Schuler, South Tyrol Tourism Advisor. Therefore, in the northern Italian province there is still no tendency to move away from winter tourism to summer tourism. The number of hospitalizations across the months is similar to that of 1995. But it won’t always stay that way, Schuler says. Artificial snow has its limits and is only possible up to a certain temperature. There are already areas where skiing is no longer possible all year round due to the melting of the ice.
11 people lost their lives in early July as a result of the collapse of a glacial cliff from melting in the Dolomites in Italy
Big problems for traditional tourist regions
The melting of snow, the disappearance of beaches, hurricanes and floods are just some of the phenomena that will bring with them climate changes and that will have an impact on tourism. Lack of water and extreme heat can also make vacation regions unattractive to travelers, experts have warned for years. Since 2008, the World Tourism Organization has warned about the vulnerability of this sector to changing climate conditions. Forest fires, new infectious diseases, loss of biodiversity, increased occurrences of jellyfish due to rising sea temperatures – all of these can pose major problems for traditional tourism regions. Especially the northernmost regions may attract more tourists in the future.
“There may be people who don’t go to the Mediterranean in the summer because of the heat,” says Dagmar Lund-Durlacher. “But we can’t talk about a mass movement yet.” However, traditional travel destinations should not lose much time to adapt to the new circumstances. Sooner or later they have to do it, otherwise at some point there will be no more tourists. “Which adaptation strategy is right varies from country to country,” Dworak points out. “If the ecosystem in a national park in Africa is destroyed because of a forest fire, then you don’t have to worry about adaptation anymore,” he says. The same can be said, for example, when it is not possible to ensure water supply in Greece. If Sylt loses a few meters of coastline, then many people who live there from tourism will have to think about something else in the medium term. In Italy, on the other hand, it may be enough to attract more vacationers who want to travel in spring and autumn.
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