Climate change affects tourism in Southeast Europe

2023-08-17 08:02:00, Sociale CNA

Climate change affects tourism in Southeast Europe

View of the destruction after the fires in Rhodes

Although the Mediterranean countries have regularly had forest fires, heat waves one after the other with temperatures exceeding 40 degrees and periods of drought, tourism is still recording record numbers this year in holiday destinations such as Spain, Greece and Italy.

" So far no change in tourist behavior due to climate change has been noticed, " says tourism professor Stefan Gössling from Linnaeus University in Kalmar, Sweden, who deals with the topic of climate change. climate and sustainable development.

Mediterranean countries still preferred

The numbers also show this. In Italy, tourism figures are expected to reach record levels this year. In Spain, hotels are full as always. According to the data of the German Travel Association, again this year the Mediterranean countries are the most requested destinations by Germans. The latest forecasts of the European Travel Commission show that France, Italy and Spain continue to be the most preferred European countries for tourism. Greece and Croatia follow, occupying fifth and sixth place.

Mediterranean countries preferred for tourism

"The majority of tourists have chronic forgetfulness ," says Ulrich Reinhardt, head of science at the Future Matters Foundation in Hamburg. The sunny coast, the warm weather, the hospitality of the locals as well as the opportunities and interesting places are very attractive. Therefore, even in the future, many vacationers will want to spend their vacations in regions that are at risk due to extreme weather conditions. "

However, experts agree that the consequences of climate change will also affect tourism in Mediterranean countries.

Preference for Southeast Europe declining

"There will be gradual changes," says Professor Gössling. It is certain that in Spain, Italy and Greece other seasons will be used more. The authors of a recently published EU Commission study say that the southern regions " will be confronted with a decline in tourism". The attractiveness of Southeast Europe as a tourist region will decline during the summer period. Whereas Northern and Central Europe can benefit from climate change by increasing the attractive force for tourists.

The researcher of future issues, Ulrich Reinhardt, also thinks so. Northern destinations had an increase in demand last year. "However, tourists even in the next 20 to 50 years will not want to spend their summer holidays in Scandinavia," he says.

Scandinavian countries are neither oriented nor do they want to be oriented towards mass tourism

" This is also because these countries are neither oriented nor do they want to be oriented by mass tourism. " Therefore, tourist destinations that are still oriented towards travel, such as the North Sea and the Baltic Sea, will boom. "In Europe, it is expected to have return of alpine tourism and increase in popularity for Eastern European countries".

Mountains instead of the sea, Tallinn instead of Athens

This will happen much sooner than thought, initially as a complement and not a replacement for Mediterranean destinations. "In the next 20 years more tourists will spend their holidays in the mountains than on the beaches of Majorca, Ballermann," says Reinhardt confidently. Trips to the cities will be more often to Reykjavik, Tallinn or Copenhagen and less often in Athens, Venice or Barcelona. Adapting to changed conditions requires "strategic adaptation work" that many southern countries have not done, says tourism researcher Stefan Gössling. For this, it is immediately required to diversify tourist offers. "In Mediterranean countries, tourism has long been focused on the sun and the sea."

This topic seems not to be a priority for Spain for example. In the current report of the most important association of this sector, Exceltur, the word "climate change" does not appear anywhere . has the wrong direction ," says Reinhardt. Major efforts are required for example for flood protection, establishing early warning systems, and improving water supply.

First steps to make the adjustment

"Progress is slower than it should be," says Professor Jorge Olcina, a geographer and climate change expert at the University of Alicante in southern Spain. " But at least the first steps are being taken."

View from Benidorm, an important tourist spot on the Costa Blanca

Thus in Spain the law on climate change was issued in 2021 and many cities and regions have made plans for adapting to the changed conditions. For example, Benidorm, an important tourist destination on the Costa Blanca, has done so. There in the future the focus will be on other seasons. Because rising temperatures have caused the flow of tourists to change, says a relevant document. Vacationers may prefer tourist destinations with milder climates in the future. But this summer this is not felt: the local hotel association expects that during the month of August 90 percent of the rooms will be closed./ DW