Davos, Switzerland - Tourists could become a dying breed as global warming takes its toll on holiday destinations, delegates at an international conference in Davos in eastern Switzerland were warned Tuesday. Tourists could turn their back on traditional destinations and even opt to stay at home, the meeting on tourism and climate change heard.
The Secretary-General of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Francesco Frangialli said: "Damage to tourist sites could cause severe job losses and economic disruption. The consequences for some destinations could be very serious."
He added: "Climate change is not a remote future event for tourism." Holidaymakers could be discouraged from going away as they considered the potential environmental impact of their lifestyles and if their destinations lost their allure.
Tourism is said to account for 5 per cent of all greenhouse gas emissions that are blamed for global warming, the bulk caused by transport.
Global warming posed a threat to coastal areas which risked being overwhelmed by algae as a result of warmer seas, while ski resorts, particularly at lower altitude, were already suffering from less snowfall.
Dr Shardul Agrawala with the Organization for European Cooperation and Development (OECD) said the European Alps were particularly sensitive. Since the 1980s, warming in the Alps has been three times the global average.
An OECD report last December had stated an additional warming of 1 degree Celsius would lead to a 60 per cent decrease in the number of "naturally snow-reliable" ski areas in Germany. Under a 4-degree warming, practically none of those areas would remain.
The 450 delegates attending the conference from governments, the tourism industry and environmental organizations, were told adaptation was a necessary step and would have to go hand in hand with mitigating efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Sri Lanka announced at the meeting it intended to become the first carbon neutral destination. The tiny country reliant on long haul travellers said it hoped to use its vast tropical forests that absorb carbon to offset its emissions.
It is the second international conference on tourism and climate change and is expected to set the agenda for a Ministerial tourism meeting in London in November ahead of the UN Climate Change Conference scheduled in Bali, Indonesia in December.
