Relationship between tourism demand in the Swiss Alps and hot summer air temperatures associated with climate change

Abstract

We quantified the impacts of hot summer air temperatures on tourism in the Swiss Alps by analysing the relationship between temperature and overnight stays in 40 Alpine resorts. Several temperature thresholds were tested to detect the relationship between them and summer tourism. Our results reveal significant correlations between the number of nights spent in mountain resorts and hot temperatures at lower elevations. The relationship between hot temperatures and overnight stays is more important in June and to a lesser extent in August than in July. This is probably because holidays and the peak of domestic tourist demand in summer usually take place between the beginning of July and mid-August so that long-term planned stays dominate more during these months compared to June. The alpine resorts nearest to cities are most affected by hot temperatures. This is probably because reactions to hot episodes take place on a short-term basis as heat waves remain relatively rare. Our results suggest that alpine tourist resorts could benefit from hotter temperatures at lower elevations under future climates. Tourists already react on a short-term basis to hot days and spend more nights in hotels in mountain resorts. If heat waves become more regular, it seems likely that tourists will choose to stay at alpine resorts more frequently and for longer periods.

Rain, Rain, Go Away, Come Again Another Day. Weather Preferences of Summer Tourists in Mountain Environments

“…(1) Mountain destinations can be promoted as a cool refuge during hot summer periods, especially for the temperature-sensitive older age group. The record heat summer of 2003 in Europe has shown some potential for increasing demand from populated pre-alpine regions to (especially short-distance) mountain destinations [44]; (2) Attracting more tourists engaged in sports activities might actually reduce weather sensitivity of the destination as this group has shown a higher tolerance towards cooler, wetter and cloudier conditions; (3) Some variety of weather-independent attractions is mandatory.…”

Comparison of Climate Preferences for Domestic and International Beach Holidays: A Case Study of Canadian Travelers

“…Approaches include expert assessments, such as Besancenot et al's "weather typing" classification [48] and Miezkowski's integrative tourism climate index (TCI) [49]. Statistical models, including multiple linear regressions, have examined the effect of weather on visitation numbers at tourist attractions [50][51][52][53][54][55][56][57][58][59] and econometric models have estimated tourism-climate demand functions based on international tourism arrivals data at both a regional [60][61][62] and global scale [63,64]. Researchers have also observed tourists' in situ behavioral response to weather conditions (e.g., via webcams) [65][66][67] and have surveyed tourists directly about their preferred climatic conditions [25,29,38,42,[68][69][70][71][72][73][74].…”

International tourism and climate change

“…National‐scale studies in the UK, Ireland, and Germany have concluded that tourists from all three nations would spend more holidays in their home country, increasing domestic tourism at the expense of destinations like Greece or Spain 45,77–79. There is some support for this pattern from anomalously warm summers in the UK,80,81 where domestic tourism increased, while outbound tourism decreased, as well as in mountain areas with nearby major cities 82,83…”