Impacts and Risks of Global Change - Impact of Global Changes on Mountains: Responses and Adaptation - page 47

highly climate-dependent. It also directly affects various facets of tourism
operations in mountains (drinking water, artifi cial snow production, heating
and cooling, irrigation needs, pest management, evacuations and temporary
closures due to fl oods, avalanches and other hazards). Furthermore tourism
in mountain regions is based on a high quality natural environment which is
to a high degree sensitive to climate variability (wildlife, biodiversity, surface
water, glaciers). Last but not the least climate is a crucial determinant of
tourist decision making and a key-driver of tourism demand at global and
regional scales. Weather is an intrinsic component of the travel experience
and infl uences tourist spending and holiday satisfaction (UNWTO 2009: 5).
Climate change increasingly threatens winter tourism, at fi rst in lower-
lying areas, later on possibly in all tourist destinations. If we assume a
temperature rise of 4°C, only 30% of winter sports places will be able to
guarantee snow (Abegg et al. 2007). This development will, however, be
subject to great regional differences. It can be foreseen that the remaining
winter sport destinations will be overcrowded in the future, whereas the
decline of winter tourism will be highly problematically for others. In the
European Alps, clear losers in this scenario are the lower-lying skiing areas
with pistes not exceeding 2500 m a.s.l. (Alpine fringe, large parts of the
Eastern Alps), while higher destinations with downhill runs above 3000 m
(glaciated regions of the Western Alps and places in the Central Alps) are
in a naturally more favourable position to cope.
In global competition, the destinations have to adapt to the changing
behaviour and choices of tourists as well to customize their offer, specifi cally
in winter, when climate change affect the snow availability. In the European
Alps, about two decades ago, municipalities began to mitigate lack of snow
by making artifi cial snow and have come to rely on snow canons more and
more (Hahn 2004). Artifi cial snow makes the runs mechanically more robust
and better adapted to developments in skiing equipment and to the rising
standards of the visitors. Undoubtedly this must be seen as an example of
successful development and implementation of adaptation strategies to the
challenges of climate change.
During the Djerba International Conference on Climate Change and
Tourism 2003 in the round table on tourism in mountainous regions, Richard
Richardson described the effects of climate change on nature-based tourism
in the Rocky Mountain National Park. As this park receives about 87% of
its visitors (3 million a year) during the May to October period climate
change already has positive effects on the demand, and it is estimated
that there will be a visitation increase of 10-14% until 2020 (UNWTO 2003:
49). Bourdeau (2008) aspects that there might be a signifi cant change in
tourist's behaviour in the next decades: In summer former beach tourists
will prefer the cooler climate in the mountains, whereas coastal destinations
gain attractiveness in winter (Fig. 3.7). Abegg et al. (2008: 77) also predict