Vulnerability Of Tourism Research Articles

Mapping the exposure of tourism to weather extremes: the need for a spatially-explicit gridded dataset for disaster risk reduction

Abstract Tourism is a highly important economic sector worldwide, yet it is often less than optimally represented in terms of detailed spatial information. An accurate spatial representation of tourism can provide valuable insights into the spatial distribution of tourism vulnerabilities and exposure, allowing policymakers to make informed decisions and develop effective strategies for disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation policies. Here, we stress the need for and propose a first prototype of an open-access spatially-explicit gridded database based on social media data for over 150 different tourism-related classes that depicts tourism density (supply and demand) and perceived satisfaction in Europe. We showcase the potential benefits of such database by mapping the exposure of specific tourism sectors to a range of weather extremes, including floods, windstorms, and heat stress. Based on these results, we argue that a homogeneous spatially-explicit database of tourism is essential to support efficient investments in preparedness and disaster resilience.

Effects of tourism vulnerability to drought on performance of wildlife tourism in Maasai Mara, Kenya

Effects of tourism vulnerability to drought on performance of wildlife tourism in Maasai Mara, Kenya

Rural Tourism Households Adapting to Seasonality: An Exploratory Sequential Mixed-Methods Study

The inherent vulnerability of tourism poses a substantial challenge to maintaining the productivity and stability of livelihoods among rural tourism households. Although tourism seasonality significantly influences the livelihood activities of rural tourism households, research exploring how they adapt their livelihood strategies to achieve optimal outcomes is limited. Employing an exploratory sequential mixed-methods design that combines thematic analysis and fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA), we investigated the relationship between the livelihood strategies and outcomes of rural tourism households under the influence of tourism seasonality in the Lijiang scenic spot of China. The results indicate that livelihood strategies adopted by rural tourism households include “Tourism Persistence”, “Seasonal Employment”, and “Seasonal Farming” during the off-season and “Extending Working Hours”, “Increasing Staffing Input”, and “Increasing Capital Input” during the peak season. Furthermore, these strategies form flexible combinations to realize livelihood outcomes, with “Extending Working Hours” being a necessary condition. The findings also revealed that the four configurations of seasonal livelihood strategies in the two patterns significantly contributed to high livelihood outcomes. One is named “Peak-Season Driven Pattern”; the other is named “Peak-Off Blend-Driven Pattern”. These findings provide theoretical and practical insights for sustainable livelihood research.

ОЦІНКА КОНКУРЕНТОСПРОМОЖНОСТІ ТУРИСТИЧНО-РЕКРЕАЦІЙНОЇ СФЕРИ РЕГІОНІВ УКРАЇНИ

Оцінено конкурентоспроможність туристично-рекреаційної сфери регіонів України. На основі застосовуваної при підготовці Світовим економічним форумом звітів «Конкурентоспроможність у сфері подорожей і туризму» методології визначення індексів конкурентоспроможності країн у сфері подорожей і туризму (The Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index) запропоновано методичні підходи до оцінювання конкурентоспроможності цієї сфери на рівні регіонів України. Визначено алгоритм, показники та індикатори оцінювання, наведено розрахункові формули для обчислення часткових та інтегральних індексів конкурентоспроможності туристично-рекреаційної сфери регіонів. Висвітлено результати оцінювання за чотирма групами обраних показників – сприятливість середовища (три підгрупи показників: економічне середовище, безпека, демографія і ринок праці з відповідними індикаторами); інфраструктурний розвиток (дві підгрупи: транспортна інфраструктура, інформаційна і банківська інфраструктури); природні та історико-культурні ресурси (дві підгрупи: природно-ресурсний потенціал, історико-культурні ресурси); рівень розвитку оцінюваної сфери (одна підгрупа: розвиток туристично-рекреаційної сфери). Наведено часткові та інтегральний індекси регіонів за конкурентоспроможністю туристично-рекреаційної сфери. Здійснено аналіз отриманих результатів оцінювання і виокремлено регіони з найвищим потенціалом конкурентоспроможності туризму й рекреації. До них віднесено ті, що мають високі природно-ресурсний і історико-культурний потенціали туристично-рекреаційної діяльності – Львівська, Одеська, Закарпатська, Івано-Франківська області, а також регіони з високими економічним і демографічним потенціалами, розвинутою інфраструктурою – Київ, Дніпропетровська, Запорізька, Харківська, Київська області. Вказано на доцільність використання переважно оціночних показників та індикаторів, які мають об’єктивний вимір. Водночас окреслено проблеми, пов’язані з відсутністю туризму і рекреації у національному класифікаторі видів економічної діяльності й системі вітчизняної статистики. Наголошено на вразливості туристично-рекреаційної діяльності стосовно чинників безпеки під час війни.

Tourism Vulnerability to Disaster: Impact of Epidemic, Natural Disaster, and Terrorism (Evidence from Indonesia)

This study aims to explore the impact of multiple disasters, such as pandemics, natural disasters, and terrorism, on inbound tourists in Indonesia. Using a panel data approach, we studied the impact of these disasters by analyzing data regarding international tourist flow from 19 countries and nine ports of entry from 2008 to 2020. The results showed that different types of disasters affected inbound tourists differently in terms of magnitude and significance. In addition, some disasters had a longer-lasting impact, which can be seen from the significant negative impact in the year following the disaster. We also uncovered an impact that varied among tourist origin countries according to their responsiveness to the disaster. The findings imply that sustainable tourism development can not be achieved without understanding how disasters affect tourism.

CLIMATE RESILIENCE IN TOURISM: A SYNTHESIS OF GLOBAL STRATEGIES AND IMPLICATIONS FOR U.S. DESTINATIONS

In an era where climate change poses a formidable threat to global industries, tourism stands at a critical juncture. This study delves into the nexus between climate resilience and tourism, with a concentrated lens on the United States. The purpose is to amalgamate global strategies and discern their implications for U.S. tourism destinations, thereby equipping stakeholders with a blueprint for sustainable practice. By employing a systematic literature review as its methodological backbone, the study meticulously sifts through peer-reviewed literature to extract and thematically synthesize resilience strategies that are pertinent to the tourism industry. The findings reveal a pronounced vulnerability of tourism to climatic variabilities, emphasizing the indispensable role of climate resilience in fostering sustainable tourism. The study identifies and evaluates global best practices, assessing their applicability to the U.S. context, and distills effective practices for U.S. implementation. It also casts light on the economic and social ramifications of adopting climate resilience measures. Conclusively, the study posits strategic policy recommendations, advocating for an integrated approach that encompasses expanding protected areas, formulation of a tourism vulnerability index, and promoting sustainable transport policies. These recommendations are proffered not merely as a defensive mechanism against climate change but as a proactive stance to reinvigorate and future-proof the tourism sector.

Perceived Vulnerability of Beach Tourism to Climate Change in Olongapo, Subic, and San Antonio, Zambales

Climate change is not solely a problem of developing countries or tropical countries but is of global concern and its impacts are observed worldwide. Tourism is one of the top industries in many countries, with coastal tourism as the largest form. The Philippines, an archipelagic country in Southeast Asia, is home to numerous islands and beaches and therefore capitalizes on the blue economy. However, the Philippines is also the third most vulnerable country globally. This study used the vulnerability theory framework to assess the climate change affecting beach tourism in Zambales, Philippines. Climatic factors considered were increased temperature, strong typhoons, floods, and sea level rise. In the related studies presented in this research, some countries’ and regions’ climatic situations, environmental conditions, and adaptation efforts were conveyed. The reviewed research papers gave numerous insights and best practices done by other countries, which can serve as the benchmark in the development of adaptation measures for beach tourism in the Philippines. In this research, descriptive research in quantitative and qualitative methods are employed. The stakeholders within Zambales were surveyed to assess the destination’s beach tourism vulnerability and condition. Respondents perceived beach tourism to be vulnerable to climate change, and adaptation measures were proposed to address the challenges to beach tourism in Zambales. Keywords: climate change, beach tourism, Vulnerability Theory, Philippines, mixed method research

A transzformatív turizmus lehetőségei az Európa Kulturális Fővárosa projektben résztvevő városok számára – Kassa példája

The study aims to explore an avenue that former European Capitals of Culture can choose to develop long-term sustainable tourism. The topicality lies in the fact that Veszprém-Balaton obtained the title for the year of 2023, as well as in the fact that the coronavirus and the war have shown the vulnerability of tourism. Furthermore, after the year-long festivities many former European Capitals of Culture cannot keep up the momentum and new facilities suffer from overcapacity. This study builds on three pillars. The first pillar is to explore the theoretical background of the topic in a multidisciplinary way, the second introduces the European Union project involving six former European Capitals of Culture that try to find a long-term successful tourism model using the principles of transformative tourism. The third pillar is an exploratory case study of Kosice. The research uses document analysis, media analysis and interview data sampling methods.

Tourism Vulnerability Amid the Pandemic Crisis: Impacts and Implications for Rebuilding Resilience of a Local Tourism System in Vietnam

Despite the devastating impact of the COVID-19 crisis on the global tourism industry, a few countries have attempted to foster their local tourism economies’ recovery by offering distinctive mechanisms which facilitate their safe tourism destinations to restart domestic tourism operations during the pandemic waves. However, there has been little research investigating how different sectors of a local tourism system, particularly in a developing country, seriously suffer from the pandemic crisis but gain encouraging revitalization from the pandemic shocks. Therefore, this study employed Can Tho city as a case study to examine the holistic impact of COVID-19 on different sectors of the local tourism industry and explore the key factors/players contributing to the resilience empowerment and adaptive recovery of the local tourism system. As such, a semi-structured interview approach was employed in this study to collect both quantitative and qualitative data. The study recruited 40 representatives of tourism-related authorities at different levels and 280 managers of different tourism sectors in the local tourism industry. The findings generally reveal the disastrous impacts of the pandemic on the local tourism industry across all tourism sectors but show an unexpected recovery of tourism businesses during the pandemic crisis. The integrated findings also highlight the pivotal role of local governments in crisis governance and destination recovery support during and after the pandemic waves. Similarly, the proactive engagement of local enterprises was found critical toward rebuilding their organizational resilience, and such adaptive transformations were essential for tourism business recovery in new normal conditions. The economic policy response and effective financial schemes were common expected measures toward the tourism industry’s recovery in the post-pandemic crisis.

Measuring tourism markets vulnerability across destinations using composite indexes

This paper addresses the concept of tourism vulnerability associated with the structure of the destinations' tourism source markets, by using several relevant factors and the construction of synthetic indexes. Following an operable and parsimonious criterion, we select a reduced set of fundamental indicators that have been stressed in the literature, and that are related to dimensions such as the destination proximity, the degree of the market demand concentration, the strength of seasonality, or the economic profile of the tourists. We implement this framework for the fifty Spanish provinces, using hotel travelers as an indicator of the demand for a destination. In this way, we guarantee a wide territorial coverage and heterogeneity of factors. The results obtained withstand various robustness analyses, and indicate that the play of the various factors means that among the most vulnerable provinces there are all kinds, both specialized in sun and beach, and urban, cultural or rural, for example (which indicates that the tourism model does not determine the degree of vulnerability). On the other hand, the vulnerability would be associated with the magnitude of the demand and would have little to do with the competitiveness measures as they have been proposed up to now. Overall, the proposed methodology and empirical results can be easily applied in practice and are of great interest for researchers, managers and policymakers. • This paper addresses the concept of markets tourism vulnerability. • The vulnerability index is computed using a set of reasonable and weighted factors. • The methodology has been applied for the fifty Spanish provinces. • The results obtained indicate all kinds of vulnerable provinces. • Vulnerability seems have little to do with the standard competitiveness notion.

Role of tourism development in environmental degradation: A step towards emission reduction

Globally, the interaction and vulnerability of tourism and climate change have recently been in focus. This study examines how carbon dioxide emissions respond to changes in the tourism development. Panel data from 2000 to 2017 for 70 countries are analyzed using spatial econometric method to investigate the spatial spillover effect of tourism development on environmental pollution. The direct, indirect, and overall impact of tourism on environmental pollution are estimated after the selection of the most appropriate GNS method. The findings reveal that tourism has a positive direct effect and a negative indirect effect; both are significant at the 1 % level. The negative indirect effect of tourism is greater than its direct positive effect, implying an overall significantly negative impact. Further, the outcome of financial development and carbon emissions have an inverted U-shaped and U-shaped relationship in direct and indirect impacts. Population density, trade openness and economic growth significantly influence on environmental pollution through spatial spill over. In addition, education expenditure and infrastructure play a significant moderating role in the relationship among tourism development and environmental pollution. The results have important policy implications as they establish an inverted-U-shaped relationship among tourism and environmental pollution and indicate that while a country's emissions initially rise with the tourism industry's growth, they begin declining after a limit.

Tourism vulnerability management to support local wisdom conservation in the current agriculture practices (Case: Agricultural tourism area in Ngawi Regency, East Java, Indonesia)

Climate change can cause an increase in the earth’s surface temperature and atmospheric CO2. This has an impact on the tourism area based on local agricultural wisdom. The research aims to analyze the level of tourism vulnerability management and formulate tourism vulnerability management strategies to support local wisdom preservation in current farming practices. The method used is mapping, field observations, and interviews with two approaches, namely quantitative content analysis and qualitative content analysis. The results showed that the farming community was only profit-oriented without paying attention to balancing and preserving the natural environment. Most farmers want all agricultural processes to be done instantly or quickly, with higher yields. However, they leave local wisdom values and socio-cultural contexts in managing the rice field environment. One of the components of local wisdom that can still be maintained is the cropping pattern primarily found in the highlands that can still be found. To manage the vulnerability of tourism to support the preservation of local wisdom in current agricultural practices.

Measuring risks and vulnerability of tourism to the COVID-19 crisis in the context of extreme uncertainty: The case of the Balearic Islands

The COVID-19 crisis is dramatically affecting the world economy and, particularly, the tourism sector. In the context of extreme uncertainty, the use of probabilistic forecasting models is especially suitable. We use Monte Carlo simulations to evaluate the outcomes of four possible tourism demand recovery scenarios in the Balearic Islands, which are further used to measure the risks and vulnerability of Balearic economy to the COVID-19 crisis. Our results show that fear of contagion and loss of income in tourism emitting countries will result in a maximum 89% drop in arrivals in the Balearic Islands in 2020.Given that most tourism-related occupations are not highly skilled and are characterized by lower salaries, there are greater risks of loss of welfare, especially for women, who are a major share of the tourism labour force.The model shows important differences among minimum, average and maximum estimates for tourism sector production in 2021, reflecting considerable uncertainty regarding the speed of the sector's recovery. The results serve as a basis to prepare a range of policies to reduce destination vulnerability under different crisis outcomes.

Higher education and the sustainable tourism pedagogy: Are tourism students ready to lead change in the post pandemic era?

The present context of COVID19 pandemics has highlighted the vulnerability of tourism. Sustainable tourism needs to be thoroughly implemented to confront this and other crises; and sustainable tourism pedagogies must accompany the process, especially in terms of students' professional skills essential for overcoming crisis situations. This paper seeks to evaluate the Degrees of Tourism in Spain from the perspective of both students and teachers in order to show to what extent they consider students to be sufficiently qualified so as to address the challenges required in the tourism sector to deal with this and other crises. To answer this question, we have turned to Sustainable Tourism Pedagogy (STP), a framework for the critical analysis of tourism studies based on six areas of literacy that this article will use for empirical analysis. The STP core literacies have been evaluated in a statistically validated questionnaire addressed to 393 respondents and data analysis has been performed with analytical descriptive techniques. The results show: i) that Tourism Degrees do not meet the needs of today's students, especially because of a major lack of sustainability issues, ii) significant gaps between the perception of teachers and students, iii) that there are calls for a more sustainable tourism pedagogy in Higher Education. This paper concludes by highlighting the urgent need to revise official national programmes.

Vulnerability of tourism to climate change on the Mediterranean coastal area of El Hammam–EL Alamein, Egypt

Vulnerability of tourism to climate change on the Mediterranean coastal area of El Hammam–EL Alamein, Egypt

Covid-19 and tourism vulnerability

The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically impacted tourism and leisure activities worldwide, especially in the hospitality sector. This paper has a conceptual and empirical motivation based on two objectives. First, it identifies several of the primary factors behind the vulnerability of tourism to COVID-19 (tourism dependency, market structure, the supply of rural accommodation, and health incidence of the pandemic). Second, it constructs a vulnerability index to COVID-19 using Spain and its 50 provinces as case. The main results obtained indicate that tourism to the Balearic Islands, the Canary Islands, the provinces of the Mediterranean coast, and Madrid, in which the state capital is located, present higher vulnerability to COVID-19, yet with different underlying factors. Our methodology and results are of interest to policymakers in terms of the short- and medium-term strategic policies that can be employed to mitigate current and future shocks.

기후 영향에 따른 해양 관광지의 취약성 연구: 관광객의 인식을 중심으로

Global warming of the Korean Peninsula is increasing strongly and marine tourism destinations are influenced by the changes in air temperature, water temperature, and sea level. The effects may directly influence tourists’ marine activities. This study tries to analyze the vulnerability of marine tourists’ areas affected by climate change in the perspective of tourists’ cognitions and to contribute to develop the indices of tourism vulnerability. The concepts of vulnerability consist of exposure, sensitivity, and adaptative capacity. This study designed the indices of tourism vulnerability based on previous studies, reflecting current situation of Korean marine tourists’ areas. The questionnaire designed was analyzed by conducting survey. The results found that concentrated heavy rains, frequent rains, abnormal high temperature of summer, strong sunshine, and high humidity were hindered to tourists’ activities. In sensitivity analysis, the marine tourists perceived that climate factors influenced the stabilization of tourism infrastructure, management of tourism business, and sustainability of local social systems to marine tourists’ areas and local societies. The change of business management and change of social systems were appeared in analysis of adaptative capacity. This study may give some insights to government and private sectors to prepare vulnerable dimensions of marine tourists’ areas and to make coping strategies for them.

Climate change and winter outdoor activities in Austria

Winter tourism is an often-mentioned example of industries with high sensitivity to climatic changes. Existing reviews are either focusing on one activity and/or type of tourism or represent a global overview. What is missing are regional or country-specific assessments of both climate change impacts on winter tourism and this sector's contribution to climate change shedding light on potential vulnerability and adaptation as well as mitigation options of this economic sector. This paper contributes to fill this gap by investigating Austrian winter tourism's vulnerability, adaptation to and mitigation of climate change. The paper at hand is part of a special report on tourism, which has been developed by leading research institutions in Austria supported by selected experts and stakeholders. Research and communication needs are addressed including the need for climate risk assessments for businesses, research on tipping points in tourism demand as well as opportunities for non snow related tourism products and needs of non-skiers. As evidence on the sector's contribution to CO2 in Austria is scarce, better knowledge of the status quo and monitoring is required.

Simulating emerging coastal tourism vulnerabilities: an agent-based modelling approach

Coastal tourism destinations face a range of climate-related changes. Prevailing challenges include understanding emerging changes and future uncertainties. A dynamic vulnerability approach is a promising way to analyse emerging socio-ecological vulnerabilities. This research presents an innovative coupling of the human-environment system in the agent-based model Coasting, and is applied to Curaçao's coastal tourism. We observe how operator numbers and environmental attractiveness, proxies for socio-ecological vulnerabilities, change over time. Global sensitivity analysis highlights the main interacting factors behind socio-ecological vulnerabilities. Scenario discovery explores the main drivers contributing to undesirable vulnerabilities. The model's findings provide key insights on which factors tourism destinations need to focus on to prevent socio-ecological vulnerabilities.

Coasting: Model description, global sensitivity analysis, and scenario discovery

This manuscript provides information for replicating the Coasting agent-based model presented in “Simulating emerging coastal tourism vulnerabilities: an agent-based modelling approach”. The model description follows the Overview, Design Concepts, and Details + Human Decision-making (ODD+D) protocol. Moreover, this paper includes implementation details on global sensitivity analysis and scenario discovery. Finally, we provide supplementary tables and figures for scenario discovery results not included in the main paper.Highlights:•Model description for simulating emerging environmental vulnerabilities in a coastal tourism context•Coasting’s design facilitates model adaptations to other coastal tourism destinations•Implementation details for applying global sensitivity analysis and scenario discovery to vulnerability assessments