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92 Climate Change and Tourism – Responding to Global Challenges
fitness centres, squash and tennis, games rooms, restaurants, and retail stores). A number of former ‘ski
resorts’ have further diversified their business operations to become ‘four season resorts’, offering nonwinter
activities such as golf, boating and white-water rafting, mountain biking, paragliding, horseback
riding and other business lines. 474 In some mountain resorts (e.g., Whistler-Blackholm Resort in British
Columbia, Canada) summer revenues now exceed winter revenues. At many larger resorts, real estate
construction and management have also become a very important source of revenue. Many larger ski
areas have profited from the sale of condominiums and other real estate, as well as the management of
these properties on behalf of their owners (i.e., helping owners rent out the properties when they are
not using them). During the sales phase of new real estate developments, real estate has often replaced
resort operations as the prime source of revenue at some ski areas.
Another technical adaptation to marginal snow reliability has been the emergence of indoor ski domes.
The first known indoor skiing slope, the ‘Casablanca Dome’, opened in Belgium in 1986 and since
then, many technological advances have been incorporated into the more than 50 indoor ski domes
operating globally in 2005. 475 The majority of ski domes are in Europe and Japan, with the largest
facility now operating in Dubai. No ski domes are in operation in North America, but one is in the
planning phase for New Jersey. The major value of indoor ski domes as a potential climate change
adaptation is in encouraging early ski interest in urban areas as the forerunner of future skier demand at
traditional resorts. For example, with low elevation ski areas near major urban markets in the eastern US
(e.g., Boston, New York) expected to be highly vulnerable to climate change, the development of indoor
ski domes in these major markets could be an important strategy by the US ski industry to maintain
continued market development.
9.2.5 Adaptation in Small Island Destinations
There is a wide range of climate change adaptation measures for island destinations, addressing the
different impacts of increased temperatures, changed precipitation and wind, and sea level rise. 476, 477
A list of possible adaptation measures in small islands and coastal zones is given in Table 9.4. There
are also a number of barriers to the successful implementation of measures. Adaptation measures for
cyclones and storm surges, for example, include ‘soft’ coastal protections, improved building design,
and insurance cover. Soft coastal protection includes the reforestation and conservation of mangrove
forest or other shore-stabilising vegetation that act as natural buffer. In the past, the preferred option
was to construct (‘hard’) seawalls, which are costly, affect the aesthetic of the shore and are often
rather ineffective in the medium- to long-term, causing further erosion around structures or transferring
erosion problems to other nearby areas. Currently there is a lack of demonstration projects for the soft,
alternative options in tourism.
Information is critical in facilitating adaptation to climate by the tourism sectors of small island
destinations. For example, many meteorological services issue seasonal climate forecasts towards the
beginning of each season. The tourism industry uses such information to devise appropriate marketing
strategies well in advance and hotels begin planning for cyclones and other extreme events. In the case
of Mauritius, the Comoros and the Seychelles, hotels respond to drought warning by assessing water
needs and securing alternative sources of supply, and to cyclone warnings by taking such precautionary
measures as:
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removal of surplus branches from trees, especially those near to buildings and electric and
telephone installations;
harvesting of fruits such as coconuts, so as to avoid accidents and to provide emergency food;
inspection of the internal communication system, entertainment facilities, water pipe and
underground cables; and
servicing of the sewerage system.
UNWTO, 9 July 2008