Tourism
Useful sources of information on climate change adaptation for the Tourism sector.
East Midlands
Tourism is of key importance to the East Midlands. The main attraction is the Peak District National Park, and other important attractions include the Lincolnshire coast, Rutland Water, Lincoln Cathedral and various sporting venues. Warm weather can increase revenue from tourism, with the summer of 2003 bringing in an estimated £14m - £30m increase in UK tourism revenue. There may be attendant challenges brought about by increased tourist numbers, such as strain on the natural environment and increased demand for public services.
The "Climate Change and the East Midlands Economy" report includes a case study focusing on Skegness, Lincolnshire. Skegness is one of the East Midlands' main seaside resorts, and it generates a significant proportion of its income from tourism. The study used the Weather Generator to examine whether the frequency of high temperatures may change in future. The summer of 2003 was chosen to provide thresholds for the Weather Generator, and the documented consequences of the 2003 hot weather provided a baseline for an impacts assessment. The findings indicate that the frequency of obtaining temperatures greater than the hottest day in summer 2003 could increase considerably in the future. However, it is also important to highlight the uncertainty associated with these estimates. For more information, see p78.
Several other English areas have information available about the risks and opportunities climate change poses for their tourism industry. The Peak District case study linked to below, is particularly relevant to the East Midlands.
North West, with a Peak District case study
"Climate Change and the Visitor Economy: Challenges and opportunities for England's Northwest" posed the question: how can the visitor economy realise the opportunities presented by climate change, whilst ensuring that the resource base is sustained under growing visitor demand and climate related reductions in environmental capacity? The report was published in 2006 by Sustainability Northwest and UKCIP.
The report focuses on the Northwest of England, but as it includes the Peak District as a case study, it is of particular interest to the East Midlands as well. Case study 2 is on moorland wildfires in the Peak District National Park. The report summarises that "Moorland wildfires in the Peak District National Park pose a significant, and potentially costly environmental threat. Climate change could exacerbate this risk. The flammability of the moorland will increase as a result of changes in vegetation cover, and a higher probability of 'dry spells'. This increase means that the occurrence and intensity of wildfires, which are generally started by human carelessness, could worsen without careful management."
The report suggests that some of our most valuable destinations face great pressures in the future, from both climate change and a growing visitor economy. It also suggests that we cannot assume that climate change will deliver a boom in tourism.
South West
A lot of work has been done to help the tourist industry adapt to climate change in the South West of England, because of the importance of tourism for the SW's economy. A short film on YouTube, produced for Climate South West and South West Tourism, highlights some of the key problems presented by climate change, and showcases how South West tourism businesses are taking action to adapt.
The Climate Prepared website provides a practical and interactive toolkit to help tourism businesses understand how they may be affected by climate change, what action they can take, and where to go for further information and support. Climate South West also have many case studies on their website.
