Global Warming Could Hurt Tourism
07:51 AM ET 08/29/99
LONDON (AP) - Heat waves, drought and disease brought on by global warming could
keep tourists away from some of the world's most popular vacation destinations in the
coming decades, a new report warned Sunday.
The report, conducted by a British university for the Worldwide Fund for Nature,
said the changing climate could have a serious impact on countries that depend on tourism.
Problems associated with rising temperatures are expected to include shorter
seasons and less snowfall at ski resorts, and more days with unbearable heat in popular
Mediterranean vacation spots. ``The tourism industry could be faced with huge costs as
global warming begins to influence decisions about when and where people go on holiday,''
said Ute Collier, a researcher with the University of East Anglia's Climatic Research
Unit, which conducted the study for the conservation group.
The study analyzed the potential impact of the changing climate on some of the
world's favorite vacation sites.
It found that shorter skiing seasons and less snow are likely to hit the ski
industry in the Alps and Scotland, while extreme heat could keep tourists away, tax water
supplies and increase the risk of disease in traditional vacation destinations such as
Greece, Turkey and southeastern Spain.
In addition, wildlife-related tourism in east and south Africa could be
disrupted as drought and changing temperatures drive animals out of protected areas, while
rising temperatures and less rainfall could damage the fragile ecosystems of Brazil's
rainforests, the report said.
In the United States, the Atlantic coasts of Delaware, Maryland and Florida will
be more vulnerable to erosion as sea levels rise, the report predicted. Oceans expand as
temperatures increase, causing sea levels to rise, sometimes by as much as 4 inches a
decade.
Air travel itself is a major contributor to the situation, the report said.
Passenger jets are the fastest growing source of greenhouse gas emissions, which increase
the risk of global warming.
With the number of international travelers expected to increase from 594 million
in 1996 to 1.6 billion by 2020, the conservation group warned that the problems may only
get worse. To help slow the effects of global warming the nature group called for
further movement away from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources. The group also urged
governments to improve energy efficiency, particularly in tourist resorts.
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