Climate change and ski industry in Pamporovo resort, Bulgaria: An exploratory study on the tourists’ perceptions

Siya Cholakova,Elka Dogramadjeva

doi:10.54055/ejtr.v22i.382

Abstract

Studying stakeholder perceptions regarding climate change and their influence on the future development of ski resorts is both important and challenging. Tourists are one of the key stakeholder groups to be taken into account, since understanding their perceptions and reactions to the impacts of climate change is essential to anticipate potential geographic and seasonal shifts in tourism demand, as well as the decline or increase of specific tourism markets. Such studies have been undertaken in different countries but so far not in Bulgaria. In an attempt to fill the gap, this paper presents the results of an exploratory survey among visitors to one of the major Bulgarian ski resorts that was carried out in March 2018. The study results reveal a high level of acceptance of climate change threats worldwide and a moderate denial of the same threats at a local scale. A large proportion of respondents even now substitute the resort with another one and the majority of them see the future of Pamporovo as a four-season destination. The study outcomes are paralleled with results known from previous studies in other countries. Considering the exploratory study limitations, conclusions are drawn regarding the need for further research and methodology refinement.

Highlights

Climate change is widely accepted as one of the most serious global threats, influencing all spheres of human life
The presented survey studied the perception of tourists in a Bulgarian ski resort towards climate change and its importance and influence over future tourism development
The questionnaire design aimed to research a broad spectrum of themes, since such a survey has not been conducted so far among Bulgarian skiers and snowboarders

Summary

Introduction

Climate change is widely accepted as one of the most serious global threats, influencing all spheres of human life. Climate change is expected to have serious social consequences, since for many ski tourism-dependent communities economic alternatives are limited (Steiger et al, 2017). In this context, evaluation of the perceptions of stakeholders is of key importance, as this is the first step in an adaptation process, which ideally, would decrease vulnerability of the destination, increase the readiness to capitalize on new opportunities and, in the end, guarantee an on-going resilient sustainable development process. Tourists are one of the key stakeholder groups to be taken into account, since understanding their perceptions and reactions to the impacts of climate change is essential to anticipate potential geographic and seasonal shifts in tourism demand, as well as the decline or increase of specific tourism markets (Jopp et al, 2010; Gössling et al, 2012)

Objectives

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion