Climate change and changes to the environment are becoming a serious problem. According to the Inter-governmental Panel on Global Warming, temperatures have risen roughly .76°C between 1850-1899 and 2001-2005. This suggests that the change is very likely to have been caused by recent human activity and the amount of green house gases that we have released into the atmosphere.
This increase in global temperatures is attributed to a multitude of factors and has an impact on many sectors in our society, including the tourism sector.
The Impacts of Global Warming
The effect global warming has on our world is becoming less and less subtle. Around the globe, people are complaining of extreme temperature changes, longer summers and shorter winters, sudden changes in climate, and climate disturbances that are becoming stronger and fiercer. Ice caps and glaciers are melting at an increasing rate, and because of this ocean levels are expected to rise by roughly 3.1 mm per year.
Such changes greatly affect human life, as more diseases begin to emerge and livelihoods disappear. According to experts, we have even reached a point where our lives could be in danger.
Tourism Services and Global Warming
Global warming is the result of both small scale and industrial scale human activity, and global warming has had a significant impact on human activity. How people travel and experience the world is being changed by the effects of global warming. Experts predict that the tourism industry is likely to face new challenges due to the issues brought about by global warming.
The impacts of global warming on the tourism sector can be divided into direct and indirect consequences.
Climate is a major driver for demands in tourist services. Tourists often book a holiday during seasons that are considered favorable. Consequently, changes to the climate brought about by climate change have a negative impact on the industry when said changes do not bring about favorable conditions for traveling. For example, famous tourist destinations in India may no longer remain popular if monsoon seasons last too long. Extreme climate changes decrease the tourists’ overall satisfaction with their holiday, and such changes also cause there to be greater demand for things such as heating and cooling systems. These changes in climate can also threaten the tourists’ security, with stronger storms being just one such risk. All of this results in agencies facing greater operating costs, having to make additional preparations for emergencies, whilst extreme weather can damage a building’s infrastructure and can disrupt a travel operator’s business.
The indirect impacts of global warming are associated with the state of the environment. Climate change and global warming have significantly changed the “aesthetic value” of certain landscapes. They have also altered certain aspects of the environment: now we see an increase in natural hazards, and more floods and seaside erosion. These changes damage tourist infrastructures and can also pose a risk to the health of tourists due to increased incidences of vector borne diseases.
The Global Warming Threat
Security risks related to changes in the climate and the physical environment are becoming a recognized problem in many countries, especially in those countries where tourism is a vital part of the economy. A decrease in tourism in these countries could lead to financial instability.
This article on tourism services is written by Michael Bills, an author of traveling articles, blogs on vacation ideas, traveling tips and tourist safety. Aside from traveling ideas Michael also writes about issues that affect the tourism industry.
