Dark tourism, ecocide and Alpine ski resorts: the Alps, Europe

Abstract

As much as 20 per cent of the world’s tourist industry takes place in the world’s mountainous regions, and ski tourism has proved itself to be a relatively rapid route to profitability. It generates tourist income, employment and, for some, a ready packaged experience of natural wilderness that can be truly exhilarating. Mountain ecosystems conjure up evocative images of pristine mountain vistas, blue skies, clean air and uninterrupted tranquillity, imagery capitalised upon by resort operators and booking agents alongside connotations of health and wellbeing. However, Alpine ecosystems are fragile, and are adversely impacted by the proliferation of purpose-built ski resorts and the infrastructure that is necessary to support them. While resorts appear to adopt some of the tenets of sustainability, in reality, ski tourism is an industry predicated upon an exploitative relationship with nature against the backdrop of shortening ski seasons, less reliable snow cover and biodiversity loss which threatens irreversible damage to this fragile ecosystem.