Tourism
Climate is a determining factor for tourism. Until recently climate in the Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East has been a major attractor for tourism which has become an economic pillar for a number of countries in the region. Climate change threatens this important economic lifeline; it will affect several aspects of the regional tourist industry regarding both demand and supply of the tourist services. This report deals with the various challenges the touristic industry will face, such as depletion of natural resources (water, energy), changes in the coastal areas due to sea level rise, protracted and intensified heat waves and sustainability of infrastructure. The competitiveness of the area, the yearly tourist period (already changing due to change of climatic conditions), and the effects of the changing biosphere (reduction in biodiversity and vegetation) are significant parameters that need to be understood in the light of the specific forecasts for the EMME region.
The experience of the pandemic has demonstrated the volatility and vulnerability of the tourism industry. The Task Force on tourism focuses on analysing the situation and designing specific adaptation measures that will allow the survival of tourism in the region by minimizing climate change consequences on the industry. The report presents good practices already applied in some countries which can be generalized for the region.
At the same time tourism is a significant source of emissions, from international and local transportation of people and goods to air conditioning for cooling and swimming pools. Decarbonizing the Tourist sector is a global concern; however the measures that need to be taken in this specific geographic area are distinct and need to be considered as such.All these point to the need of a radically different model of tourism, which is the focus of the EMME CCI white paper on Tourism.
(Click here to download the report in .pdf format)
Introduction & Scope
The continuous increase in greenhouse gas emissions in addition to other anthropogenic pressures on the environment related to the territory (e.g. extensive deforestation and urbanization) have led to important changes in climatic parameters, such as the increase in global surface temperature and fluctuations in precipitation levels. The response to climate change manifestations as well as the severity of the phenomena vary among different regions, leading to the creation of climate change hotspots. The Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East (EMME) region is considered among these hotspots due to increasing trends in mean temperature and temporal variability of its meteorological features as well as dependency on the tourism sector (Scott et al., 2019). According to relative projections, the temperature trends (mean temperature and summer peaks) in the region will continue to intensify throughout the 21st century leading to extreme weather events, such as heatwaves and severe prolonged droughts. The frequency, duration and magnitude of these events are expected to increase with severe impacts on society, the environment and economic activity in the region. In addition, increasing population growth and urbanization rates are expected to intensify competition over the local natural resources, thus leading to expansion and worsening of environmental issues and social inequalities. Additional risks are expected
for tourism from potential sea level rise impacts due to climate change, affecting the majority of typical
regional tourist assets, the beaches, but also coastal tourism-related development, as well as natural risks,
such as flooding and forest fires (Olya & Alipour, 2015).
This document presents an overview of key issues related to tourism and tourism development in the
region, highlighting that tourism as a multi-sectoral activity, is affected by and affects climate change in
multiple ways. Therefore, there is a need for a complex approach to climate change adaptation and
mitigation from supporting basic resources (water, energy, soil) to key tourism assets (beaches, natural
and cultural heritage) and tourist destinations (in terms of spatial planning and management) (Jopp et al.,
2010; Scott et al., 2012).
The purpose of the report is to provide a scientifically based set of recommendations for regional action.
Furthermore, we aim at identifying particularities in the region and create opportunities to showcase
experiences and good practices in the context of EMME-CCI.
By clicking on the image you can read, print or download the Report
