Climate Change Risk and Climate Action

A special issue of Tourism and Hospitality (ISSN 2673-5768).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 January 2025 | Viewed by 17305

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Geography and Environmental Management, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada
Interests: sustainable tourism; tourism climatology; climate change adaptation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
Department of Geography and Environmental Management, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada
Interests: sustainable tourism, climate change and tourism; resource management; climate and society; tourism; tourism sustainability

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Global climate change is a significant challenge facing society that will transform tourism worldwide. Whether society achieves rapid and deep emission reductions to restrict global warming to well below +2 °C (i.e., Paris Agreement) or the more extensive climate disruption of a warmer world is realized, climate change and our collective climate action will have significant implications for tourism. This Special Issue is dedicated to new research that responds to the imperative to improve our understanding of the tourism sector’s climate change risks and inform mitigation and adaptation responses that advance climate-resilient tourism development.

Prof. Dr. Daniel Scott
Dr. Michelle Rutty
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • tourism
  • nature-based tourism
  • climate change
  • risk management
  • weather extremes
  • climate action

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 644 KiB  
Article
Climate Change and the Future of Ski Tourism in Canada’s Western Mountains
by Natalie L. B. Knowles, Daniel Scott and Robert Steiger
Tour. Hosp. 2024, 5(1), 187-202; https://doi.org/10.3390/tourhosp5010013 - 8 Mar 2024
Viewed by 3042
Abstract
Winter, snow, and mountains, epitomized by the world-renowned Rocky Mountain range, are an integral part of Canada’s sport-culture identity and international tourism brand, yet the climate change risk posed to this important ski tourism region remains uncertain. This study used the ski operations [...] Read more.
Winter, snow, and mountains, epitomized by the world-renowned Rocky Mountain range, are an integral part of Canada’s sport-culture identity and international tourism brand, yet the climate change risk posed to this important ski tourism region remains uncertain. This study used the ski operations model SkiSim 2.0 to analyze the climate risk for the region’s ski industry (26 ski areas in the province of Alberta and 40 in British Columbia) with advanced snowmaking, including changes in key performance metrics of ski season length, snowmaking requirements, holiday operations, and lift and terrain capacity. If Paris Climate Agreement targets are met, average seasons across all ski areas decline 14–18% by mid-century, while required snowmaking increases 108–161%. Regional average operational terrain declined only 4–9% in mid-century, as the largest ski areas were generally more climate resilient. More pronounced impacts are projected under late-century, high-emission scenarios and in low latitudes and coastal British Columbia regions. When compared with continental and international ski tourism markets, Western Canada has relatively lower climate change impacts, which could improve its competitiveness. The results inform further research on demand-side as well as the winter sport-tourism industry and destination-scale climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate Change Risk and Climate Action)
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14 pages, 2060 KiB  
Article
Snowmobiling and Climate Change: Exploring Shifts in Snowmobile Activity Using a Temporal Analogue Approach in Ontario (Canada)
by Michelle Rutty, Francesca Cardwell and Grant Gunn
Tour. Hosp. 2023, 4(4), 604-617; https://doi.org/10.3390/tourhosp4040037 - 4 Dec 2023
Viewed by 1455
Abstract
The multi-billion-dollar snowmobile industry is predicated on natural snowfall and cold temperatures, with a near absence of research that examines industry response to climatic variability and change. Using a temporal analogue approach, this study examines 30 years of climate data (1989–2019), along with [...] Read more.
The multi-billion-dollar snowmobile industry is predicated on natural snowfall and cold temperatures, with a near absence of research that examines industry response to climatic variability and change. Using a temporal analogue approach, this study examines 30 years of climate data (1989–2019), along with operational (grooming hours) and performance (permit sales) indicators, to provide insight into the vulnerability and adaptive capacity of the Ontario snowmobile industry in a medium (RCP4.5) and high (RCP8.5) mid-century (2046–2060) emission scenario. The results underscore important temporal and spatial variability across Ontario’s 16 snowmobile districts, indicating that snowmobilers are highly resilient to marginal conditions, changing districts and switching from seasonal to daily permits in response to warming temperatures. The findings from this study can inform risk assessments in other major snowmobile markets (e.g., Canada, Europe, USA), with future research needs discussed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate Change Risk and Climate Action)
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20 pages, 2694 KiB  
Article
Climbing through Climate Change in the Canadian Rockies: Guides’ Experiences of Route Transformation on Mt. Athabasca
by Katherine Hanly, Graham McDowell and James Tricker
Tour. Hosp. 2023, 4(4), 539-558; https://doi.org/10.3390/tourhosp4040033 - 24 Oct 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2561
Abstract
Mountain guides play an important role in the provision of nature-based tourism activities, such as mountaineering, in alpine environments around the world. However, these locales are uniquely sensitive to climate change, and despite extensive documentation of bio-geophysical changes, there are few studies evaluating [...] Read more.
Mountain guides play an important role in the provision of nature-based tourism activities, such as mountaineering, in alpine environments around the world. However, these locales are uniquely sensitive to climate change, and despite extensive documentation of bio-geophysical changes, there are few studies evaluating the impacts of these changes on mountaineering routes and the livelihood of mountain guides. This constrains adaptation planning and limits awareness of potential loss and damage in the mountain tourism sector. In response, our study explored mountain guides’ lived experiences of working on Mt. Athabasca in Jasper National Park, Canada, to reveal the effects of climate change on mountaineering routes and implications for the mountain guiding community. To do this, we used a mixed methods approach that combined spatio-temporal trend analysis, repeat photography, and semi-structured interviews with mountain guides. We found that rising temperatures and changing precipitation regimes in the Mt. Athabasca area are driving glacial retreat and loss of semi-permanent snow and ice, which is impacting climbing conditions and objective hazards on mountaineering and guiding routes. Guides’ experiences of these changes varied according to socio-economic conditions (e.g., financial security, livelihood flexibility), with late-career guides tending to experience loss of guiding opportunities and early-career guides facing increased pressure to provide services in more challenging conditions. Our findings offer novel insights that identify salient issues and bolster support for actions in response to the concerns of the mountain guide community. This study also underscores the need for further research, as the underlying issues are likely present in mountaineering destinations globally. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate Change Risk and Climate Action)
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16 pages, 1134 KiB  
Article
Tourist Perceptions of Climate Change Impacts on Mountain Ecotourism in Southern Mexico
by Ginger Deason, Erin Seekamp, Adam Terando and Camila Rojas
Tour. Hosp. 2023, 4(3), 451-466; https://doi.org/10.3390/tourhosp4030028 - 23 Aug 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 9482
Abstract
Climate change impacts on tourism are well documented, with most studies focusing on challenges facing ski or beach tourism. While non-ski, mountain tourism accounts for almost one fifth of tourism worldwide, there is a dearth of research on tourists’ perceptions of climate change [...] Read more.
Climate change impacts on tourism are well documented, with most studies focusing on challenges facing ski or beach tourism. While non-ski, mountain tourism accounts for almost one fifth of tourism worldwide, there is a dearth of research on tourists’ perceptions of climate change impacts and their effects on tourism demand in these areas. This study, conducted at the ecotourism destination of the Pueblos Mancomunados in the Sierra Norte Mountains of southern Mexico, helps to fill that gap by identifying important tourist decision factors and determining how tourists’ decisions to visit may change under different climatic conditions. Using on-site intercept survey research methodology involving 188 tourists, we found that some climate change scenarios affect tourists’ perceptions of the desirability of visiting nature-based tourism sites. Results indicate that community-based ecotourism businesses, such as the one that operates in the Pueblos Mancomunados, need to specifically plan for climate change impacts, as they may need to alter tourism offerings to sustain demand. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate Change Risk and Climate Action)
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