Climate Change and its Impact on Tourism Destinations

Global warming has become a global issue for concern within the recent past and the impact of such a warming will influence tourism trends. Greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere due to the burning of oil and coal has resulted in a build up of these gasses in the atmosphere that trap solar radiation and increase temperatures around the globe. Thus, tourism contributes to greenhouse gas emissions and it is also influenced by global warming. Higher temperatures will have an impact on both winter and summer tourism because the mountainous regions will become unreliable for winter sports and the beaches are likely to be affected by rising sea levels, heatwaves and storms. Popular tourism destinations will fail to deliver the expected and a few surprises may be in store for the tourists who will want to switch to more convenient destinations, altering existing patterns and trends. This essay presents a discussion about the impact of global climate change on tourism destinations.