Climate change affects all sectors of the economy, especially tourism. New destinations are opening, colder parts of Europe are becoming attractive to tourists. Traditional resorts and destinations are facing numerous changes, Athens has closed the Acropolis several times this year due to the heat. In what direction will tourism develop because of this and how should Serbia further develop its tourist offer?
From year to year we witness changes in weather conditions, summers are hotter, we have more tropical heat waves, mild winters. Even Moscow, as well as Scandinavian and Baltic countries, record unusually high temperatures. Dobrica Jovičić, a professor at the Faculty of Geography in Belgrade, tells RTS that because of this, in the medium or long term, tourism will have to reorient itself and that flows will be directed towards the north of the European continent.
“The Mediterranean is still the leader, the latest data show that – Spain recorded around 14 million foreign tourists in the second quarter of this year, so some trends are not easy to reverse, regardless of pronounced heat waves. Habits have been formed by tourists, and what can be expected is that in the medium term, tourists will start choosing destinations such as the south coast of Britain, the North Sea in Germany, or the Swedish lakes,” says the professor.
It also indicates that the first consequence of climate change may be a change in the peak summer season.
“Tourists have a great adaptive capacity, especially when it comes to their free time, they can choose the time that is most convenient,” says Jovičić.
The Bloomberg agency reported that the number of tourists and overnight stays in the Scandinavian countries is growing by as much as 27 percent. On the other hand, the south of Europe, Italy e.g. has a growth of three percent.
“It should be borne in mind that the Mediterranean countries have a high starting point, Italy registered about 55 million foreign tourists last year, unlike Scandinavia, where it is much less and mostly related to tours that have a cultural character and do not include spa tourism,” explains the professor .
When it comes to Serbia, he states that our country does not belong to the group of countries that may have long-term and short-term consequences due to climate change. This, he says, stems from the structure of our tourist traffic, because tourism in Serbia is linked to cities, primarily foreign tourists, while domestic tourists mostly visit mountains and spas.
One of the destinations that has already been affected is Kopaonik.
“Kopaonik is already a respectable sports tourism destination, but in recent years there has been a lack of snowfall and high temperatures, so even the operation of snow cannons cannot help much. This can affect the tourism sector. We should not expect changes in city tourism”, notes the guest of Dnevnik.
Source: RTS
Source: energetskiportal.rs
