Climate Change and Tourism - UNEP - Division of Technology ...

UNWTO, 9 July 2008
Impacts and Adaptation at Tourism Destinations
Table 9.6 Adaptation measures in relation to tourism policy and barriers
Adaptation measures Barriers to implementation Measures to remove barriers
Mainstreaming adaptation in
tourism planning and policy
Include climate risk in
tourism regulations and
codes
Institutional strengthening
and capacity building to
coordinate climate responses
across tourism-related
sectors
Education/awareness raising,
motivate and mobilise
tourism staff and also tourists
Lack of information on which to base
policy initiatives
The transversal and fragmented nature
of the tourism sector makes
coordination difficult (e.g., interministerial,
public-private- community
relationships)
Lack of information on which to base
regulatory strengthening
Lack of enforcement of regulations
Lack of clarity of the institutional
strengthening required to improve
sustainability of tourism
Lack of education and resources that
support behavioural change
Lack of finance
Source: Becken, S. and Hay, J. (2007) and Simpson, M. C. (2008 – in press)
Improve targeted information (e.g.,
climate-risk profile for tourism, special
climate information and weather
forecasting services and products for
tourism operators)
Improve information, such as climaterisk
profile for tourism, integrate
climate risk factors in licensing criteria
(e.g., location of facilities, water
resources), streamline licensing and
inspection processes through
improved coordination between
authorities
Assess options and implement the
most appropriate strategies
Undertake education/awareness
programmes
While much adaptation policy is undertaken at an institutional level (e.g., international organisations,
national governments or communities), tourism businesses, entrepreneurs, investors can also improve
their management of climate change risks. This includes managing vulnerabilities to direct impacts
from climate change, and those to changes in the resource or customer bases. For example, business
planning might benefit from an understanding of which markets might react most strongly to the negative
perception of air travel, as discussed above. Climate change risk management should be integrated into
business practices relating to revenue and cost, assets and liabilities, and the wider supply chain.
“If only the risks are communicated without communicating adaptation options, people will
probably react by avoidant maladaptive responses like denial of risk.”
9.4 Conclusion
Grothmann and Pratt (2005: 209)
This Chapter illustrated that climate change has far-reaching consequences for tourism businesses and
destinations. At the destination level, the magnitude of the impact of climate change will depend upon
the importance of tourism in the regional economy, the characteristics of climate change and its effect
on the natural environment, the adaptive response of the tourism sector, and how the impacts of climate
change interact with other long-term influencing variables in the tourism sector, including: globalization
and economic fluctuations, fuel prices, aging populations in industrialized countries, increasing travel
safety and health concerns, increased environmental and cultural awareness, advances in information
and transportation technology, environmental limitations. No destination should assume they will not
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