The Climate Crisis and the tourism of the future

After two years of breaking records for extreme temperatures in summer, and some people fleeing the fires (as happened in Greece this summer), some people have already started to think about what could happen to summer tourism in 20 or 30 years.

And it is that by then, if events continue to develop as they have been up to now (and everything indicates that they will continue), the countries of northern Europe are going to have warmer summers, but not as torrid as the summers of the southern countries from Europe (Spain. Greece, etc…).

And in these high temperature conditions, it is more than possible that many people from the North who visit us today will reconsider their summer vacations in the countries of the South and decide to stay further north.

And unfortunately, according to experts, Europe is one of the areas of the world that is warming up the most, and therefore the “problem” reaches us for sure. In fact, it has already reached us.

Rising temperatures, the frequency of extreme weather events and rising sea levels are going to have a significant impact on the world’s tourist destinations.

And in the next 30 years, the Climate Crisis is about to have an even bigger impact on tourism. Global average temperatures could increase by up to 1.5ºC, which would cause serious changes in tourist destinations.

Some of the most significant impacts of the Climate Crisis on tourism would be:

Increase in temperatures: this increase will make some tourist destinations uncomfortable for their visitors. For example, the beaches of coastal resorts could become too hot, and mountain resorts could become too hot for skiing.

Increased frequency of extreme weather events: Climate change is causing an increase in the frequency of extreme weather events, such as heat waves, droughts, floods and hurricanes. These phenomena can cause damage to tourist infrastructure, as well as to the safety of tourists.

Sea level rise: Rising sea levels are threatening the shorelines of many islands and coastal tourist destinations. In some areas, rising sea levels could make tourist destinations uninhabitable.

Here are some specific examples of how climate change is already affecting tourism around the world:

In the Alps, climate change is causing glaciers to melt. This is threatening winter sports such as skiing and snowboarding. Tourist destinations in the Alps are taking measures to adapt to climate change, such as building artificial ski slopes and promoting other sports, such as hiking and cycling.

In the Maldives, rising sea levels are threatening beaches and tourism infrastructure. The Maldives government has taken measures to adapt to climate change, such as building dikes and relocating some communities. But its tourist future is rather doubtful.

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In Southern Europe I have not seen any containment action despite the heat waves we are suffering, and as almost always we will dedicate ourselves to regretting it when it is too late.

As climate change continues, the impact on tourism is likely to be even greater. The tourism industry must take measures to adapt to the new scenarios, so that it can continue to be an engine of economic growth and social development. But we must admit that it is difficult, very difficult.

And meanwhile, we all continue to pollute our planet with the greatest of joys !!! We are a band of fools !!!