Rising Temperatures: Impact on Travel & Tourism

Hot weather is what many people go on holiday for. But record global temperatures have been
sending people home early from their vacations this July, raising questions about what kind of
impact the climate crisis could have on tourism-dependent economies.
Greece – which relies heavily on tourism – has had to evacuate over 2,000 holidaymakers after
wildfires broke out on the island of Rhodes. Athens took the unprecedented step of closing its top
tourist attraction, the Acropolis, after temperatures reached 45°C.
Over in Italy, visitors to Rome have been returning home early because of the heatwave,
while hospitals have faced a rise in the number of medical emergencies. Admissions at one hospital
reached their highest since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Soaring temperatures have not just been ending holidays – they’ve even stopped some from getting
started. This is because aircraft find it harder to get off the ground in hotter conditions, as it makes
the air less dense.
US airlines flying out of Las Vegas – where temperatures hit 46°C – have consequently had to
reduce passenger numbers, remove baggage, reduce the level of fuel they are carrying or delay
flights until temperatures fall.
Colder climates are suffering, too.
The Alps region attracts around 120 million tourists a year Skiing and snowboarding are top of
many visitor lists, but rising global temperatures have reduced.
Canada’s Whistler ski resort has responded to this by offering more snow-free activities – so much
so that it now makes more money in summer, according to TIME magazine.
How tourism can change
Sustainable tourism is one way to help protect countries and economies at risk from the climate
crisis. It is also one of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.
This could include limiting tourist numbers (as is being done in Southern France to help protect
ecosystems) and banning polluting forms of transports.
Staying only in environmentally friendly resorts is another option. Some are ensuring they run
on renewable power, harvest rainwater and cut waste.
Not taking planes is also a ‘slow travel’ trend. It advocates dropping the “bucket list” approach of
ticking off as many destinations as possible, with travelers instead staying in one place and
experiencing a local culture more fully.
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Source: World Economic Forum published on August 14, 2023
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2023/08/temperatures-tourism-climate-impact/
Read the article & answer the following questions: [5]
Q1: State whether each statement is True or False.
The article talks about impact of tourism on climate change. ______
Rising temperatures are a cause of reduced tourism for both hot and cold destinations. ______
Rise in temperature does not affect flights at all. ______
Sustainable tourism aims to help & protect countries from climate crisis. ______
Experiencing a local culture fully is an example of sustainable tourism. ______

Q2: Identify one cause & one consequence of climate crisis on tourism in:
Greece: [2]
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Italy: [2]
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Q3: I wish to explore the content of this article for my Individual Report. I have come up with 2
research questions as follows: [2]
Option 1: Climate Change: Does it impact travel & tourism?
Option 2: How is climate a challenge for tourism?
Which Option is an argumentative research question? _________________________________
Which option is descriptive? __________________________________________________
Q4: Describe an environmentally friendly resort as underlined in the article. [3]
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