Abstract
The objective of this study is to analyze the present and future climate-tourism conditions in Milos Island, Cyclades, Greece, by means of the assessment of the three climate components (physical, thermal, and aesthetic), which interprets the so-called climatic tourism potential. Milos Island is chosen as a representative island of the Cyclades complex in the Aegean Sea. Future climate change conditions are analyzed using the high-resolution simulations (grid size 0.11° × 0.11°) of the Regional Climate Model ALADIN 5.2 from Centre National de Recherche Meteorologiques, Meteo France (CNRM). The climate simulations concern the future periods 2021–2050 and 2071–2100 against the reference period 1961–1990, under two Representative Concentration Pathways, RCP4.5 and RCP8.5. Based on regional climate simulations, the tourism potential can be described in a meaningful and simple way by applying the Climate-Tourism-Information-Scheme (CTIS), which depicts detailed climate information that could be used by tourists to foresee the thermal comfort, aesthetic, and physical conditions for planning their vacations. More specifically, the thermal climate component is interpreted by the Physiologically Equivalent Temperature (PET), which is one of the most popular physiological thermal indices based on the human energy balance. The findings of the analysis could be used by stakeholders and the tourism industry in decision-making regarding the destination of Milos for tourism planning and touristic infrastructure development.
Highlights
Weather and climate are important factors for tourism decision-making [1,2,3,4]
An extension or a shift of the tourism period would be beneficial concerning the resilience and adaptation to global warming [6]. This is a crucial issue for touristic destinations in the Mediterranean, which is vulnerable to climate change, taking into account the climate projections by regional climate models [7]
The goal of our research is to describe in a useful and understandable way how climate-tourism conditions, based on regional climate simulations, can affect the decision-making for vacation time and area and how to access existing climate information for present and for expected future climate conditions in Milos island, Greece
Summary
Weather and climate are important factors for tourism decision-making [1,2,3,4]. As the environmental impact is very extensive, the attempt to promote off-peak tourism to traditional or other destinations represents one way of reducing the pressure on the environment [5]. An extension or a shift of the tourism period would be beneficial concerning the resilience and adaptation to global warming [6]. This is a crucial issue for touristic destinations in the Mediterranean, which is vulnerable to climate change, taking into account the climate projections by regional climate models [7]. The decision to make a trip is heavily influenced by the physical and economic potential of the person and by two important parameters: The preferences of the individuals configured by the climatic conditions prevailing in the place where they reside and the characteristics of the desired destination, such as the natural landscape, the cultural features, and the climate, that make it attractive [8,9].
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