Global Warming and Tourism

Global Warming and Tourism

Global warming is the gradual increase in the overall temperature of the earth's atmosphere generally attributed to the greenhouse effect caused by increased levels of carbon dioxide, CFCs, and other pollutants.

Tourism is one of the biggest industries of the world. This industry is impacted by global warming. This is because many types of tourism activities are weather dependent. Hence if there is a drastic change in the weather it will directly affect the industry (EU macs ). The major reason for that being is that, the number of incoming tourists to any region changes and the traveling patterns change too.

With rising sea levels, the coastal infrastructure will be endangered. Plus, Coral reefs are being destroyed. The coastal touristic destinations are hence then losing their touristic attractions. Destinations with winter sports are losing their attraction points as well. Due to lesser snowfall, skiing may not be possible anymore. Overall, there is a shift in the tourism industry. This means that tourists will now most likely prefer to go to Canada and northern Europe, rather than the Caribbean and Mediterranean destinations due to preferable climate (CISL).

With the weather patterns changing, it has become difficult to predict the climate of any touristic destination. This is a negative effect because the tourism industry is dependent on weather predictability in order to attract tourists in advance. This then becomes problem if the industry is not able to attract the desired number of tourists (Essays, 2018)

With increasing global warming there are more extreme weather events. The effects of these events include travel routes, energy supplies on which the industry heavily relies. This could have serious implications for tourism operators, especially in coastal areas. Poorer countries tend to be less resilient. Plus, this can discourage travellers from choosing the tourist destination. (CISL)

Tourism will also be affected by the policy changes and efforts regarding the reduction of greenhouse gases emissions. This can be costly for the industry as they may have to switch to more eco-friendly activities (CISL).

However, there is one positive effect, which is that new destinations are now available. Still, the fact remains that this will be a short-term benefit as it is inevitable that global warming will soon start to negatively effect that region too.

The tourism industry should strictly work on policies that will ensure reduction of greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere. Hotels can adopt renewable energy sources like solar power. Airlines can adopt alternative fuels like biofuels which offer direct GHG emission reductions of30–90% compared to fossil fuels (CISL) . Governments can even put a quota on the number of incoming tourists, therefore, not burdening a country’s resources and reducing excessive use of vehicles, energy sources etc.