The climate tourism potential of Alpine destinations using the example of Sonnblick, Rauris and Salzburg (original) (raw)
Related papers
Assessment of tourism and recreation destinations under climate change conditions in Austria
Meteorologische Zeitschrift, 2012
Tourism and recreation are important economic factors which are directly connected to weather and climate of a specific destination. Based on the observation network of the Central Institute of Meteorology and Geodynamics of Austria (ZAMG), data of 37 stations has been collected and analysed for tourism and recreation purposes. The analysis was based on long term data sets which were processed in relevant ways for tourism and recreation, resulting in frequency diagrams of Physiologically Equivalent Temperature (PET) and precipitation. Additionally, we prepared the results according to the demands of tourism and recreation authorities and industry using the Climate-Tourism/Transfer-Information-Scheme (CTIS). Applying data from the regional climate models REMO and CLM we can provide information on future climate conditions in Austria's recreation areas. We chose two different time slices and IPCC emission scenarios (A1B, B1). The data was processed based on the threshold factors which are included in the CTIS (e.g. thermal comfort, heat stress, cold stress, sunshine, etc.). For the time slice 2021-2050 only moderate changes can be expected. But for 2071-2100 one can observe a distinct decrease of cold stress and the skiing potential. On the other hand, moderate increases of thermal comfort, heat stress, sultriness and sunshine are expected. No tendencies can be seen in precipitation and wind conditions.
Assessing climate for tourism purposes: Existing methods and tools for the thermal complex
… Biometeorology, Commission on Climate Tourism …, 2001
The most important direct effects of climate on tourism occur at the micro scale. These effects are significant for both the tourism industry and the holiday makers themselves, but they are also of importance to the planning and design of tourism buildings, recreation facilities and a variety of other issues. With some modification, existing methods for assessing climate in human biometeorology can be used for the tourism climatology. For example, thermal indices that are derived from the energy balance of the human body can be useful here. The problem is that input environmental data required for these schemes rather specialized and usually not available. Standard climate data are air temperature, air humidity and wind speed. However, the most important environmental parameters for deriving modern thermal indices are the short and long wave radiation (and the derived mean radiant temperature). These can be determined using special techniques. The RayMan model that has been developed for urban climate studies is presented here. It is shown that this can be a helpful tool for the assessment of tourism and climate related questions. Sample analysis are presented and discussed.
Tourism climatology: past, present, and future
International Journal of Biometeorology
Founded in 1999 at the 15 th International Congress of Biometeorology, the Commission on Climate, Tourism and Recreation (CCTR) is an international working group that seeks to advance the current state of knowledge in the field of tourism/recreation climatology. Beginning in the 1970s, climatologists explored how climate impacts a myriad of economic sectors, including tourism, with research predominantly centered on how climatological information could be used within the context of tourism planning processes (Lamb 2002). After a brief decline in research activity in the 1980s, a new phase of research growth, propelled by climate change, emerged in the 1990s (Scott & Lemieux 2010). As noted by de Freitas (2017), the field is now truly multidisciplinary, with a range of disciplines contributing diverse methodologies to understand the climate and tourism nexus. Over the past five Announcement: The sixth CCTR event, with support from the Arctic Research Centre at Umeå University (ARCUM), will take place virtually in the spring of 2021. For further information, please go to www. cctr2021.org.
2013
A new approach based on climate thresholds, the Climate-Tourism-Information-Scheme CTIS, which is appropriate for destination analysis of present climate conditions and for future climate changes is shown here. In particular, the method combines meteorological and tourism related components. All factors are included in one single information scheme in order to describe these factors in a high temporal resolution. The CTIS intends to integrate and simplify climate information for tourism. It contains detailed climate information which can be used by tourists to anticipate thermal conditions (including thermal comfort, cold stress, heat stress, cold stress and sultriness) as well as aesthetical (sunshine) and physical conditions (wind, rain) when planning their vacations. CTIS provides allseasonally frequency classes and frequencies of extreme weather events on a 10-day or monthly time scale. The included factors and parameters are shown in terms of thresholds and frequencies. In general, the definitions of the threshold values do not necessarily correspond to universal meteorological threshold values and are adjusted to applied climatology purposes e.g. tourism, health and urban planning.
Vertical gradient of climate change and climate tourism conditions in the Black Forest
International Journal of Biometeorology, 2010
Due to the public discussion about global and regional warming, the regional climate and the modified climate conditions are analyzed exemplarily for three different regions in the southern Black Forest (southwest Germany). The driving question behind the present study was how can tourism adapt to modified climate conditions and associated changes to the tourism potential in low mountain ranges. The tourism potential is predominately based on the attractiveness of natural resources being climate-sensitive. In this study, regional climate simulations (A1B) are analyzed by using the REMO model. To analyze the climatic tourism potential, the following thermal, physical and aesthetic parameters are considered for the time span 1961-2050: thermal comfort, heat and cold stress, sunshine, humid-warm conditions (sultriness), fog, precipitation, storm, and ski potential (snow cover). Frequency classes of these parameters expressed as a percentage are processed on a monthly scale. The results are presented in form of the Climate-Tourism-Information-Scheme (CTIS). Due to warmer temperatures, winters might shorten while summers might lengthen. The lowland might be more affected by heat and sultriness (e.g., Freiburg due to the effects of urban climate). To adapt to a changing climate and tourism, the awareness of both stakeholders and tourists as well as the adaptive capability are essential.
Mapping the thermal bioclimate of Austria for health and recreation tourism
2004
This paper analysed the thermal human bioclimate in Austria. Data covering the period of 1991 to 2000 was collected from Austria's dense network of 201 meteorological stations, and was used to compute the Physiological Equivalent Temperature (PET). Daily measurements and observations, at various times, of air temperature, relative humidity, wind velocity and mean cloud cover were the required data for the PET calculation. The results were compared with the outcome of a computation using synoptic data, not only from Austria but also from surrounding countries.
2010
Climate is a key factor in attracting visitors to certain regions, thus any change in climate, whatever the cause, will affect the value of this toursim resource. The problem is we are unable to adequately predict future climate. Sensitivity assessment circumnavigates this problem and informs planning decisions without knowing precisely the magnitude of climate change that might occur. The impact of change will depend on the net effect of the changed variables as well as the climate of the region in question. For example, an average 1 o C air temperature rise may be of little consequence where high temperatures, high solar heat loads, high relative humidity and low wind speeds are commonplace. Conversely, marginal tourism climates may be highly sensitive and respond dramatically to even the smallest change in climatic conditions in an already short tourist season. Two well-tested schemes for integrating thermal bioclimatic variables are used to assess sensitivity to change in Australia and New Zealand. The approach produces integrated output indices in the form of the ASHRAE thermal sensation scale (TSN) and Physiologically Equivalent Temperature (PET). Data for a 30-year period is used to produce monthly charts. The results describe the net effects of various climate scenarios and show that the changes in thermal conditions will be greater than implied by using air temperature alone, especially during summer. The changes for the winter result in net increases one to two TSN stress levels or about 5°C PET. The findings show that quantification of the thermal impact of changed climate cannot be adequately assessed using temperature alone. The results are useful for identifying areas of high sensitivity to climate change as well as the extent to which potential impact on thermal climate appeal for tourism is likely to be negative or positive.