Due to raging fires, heat records, and severe water shortages threatening entire regions, tourism will have to adapt to the climate crisis.
By Laetitia Hornler
In recent years, and especially in the last few months, the news has been filled with stories about the impact of climate change on tourist areas. Side by side with news about overtourism, this is not news we want for the tourism industry. Many protest the influence of too many tourists in certain regions, especially in Spain, and reports about travelling have been negative. Numerous major international news outlets publish lead articles about “climate change and tourism.” And the BBC recently released an article wondering “will extreme weather change when and where you go on holiday?” [1]
Although, the upcoming elections in the U.S. currently dominate the U.S. media, The New York Times recently led with an article entitled: “After losing crops to drought, Sicily is fears losing tourism, too” [2]. The New York Times preferring to lead with an article about the climate crisis just two days after President Joe Biden resigned as a presidential candidate, shows just how urgent this topic is!
The time has come to redirect tourist flows into a bigger portfolio of destinations and adapt touristic choices to the impact of climate change. The Guardian’s top story “My escape is going north” last month, which highlighted 76% of European travelers adapt their behavior to the climate crisis, is just one of many examples. [3] A recent report from the European Travel Commission from March 2024 shows “several destinations, particularly in the Mediterranean, are seeing significant reputational damage because of climate change events. The study also suggests that many destinations across Europe will start to see a shift in demand.” [4]
Nevertheless, warmer destinations like Italy, Spain, France, and Greece remain top destinations for travel. But for how long? Many travel companies already note an increased interest in cooler destinations. The demand for tour operators focused on northern European countries doubled since last year, according to The Guardian. [5]
This might also pose a solution to the overtourism problem in southern European countries, especially Spain. If most tourists choose countries with a cooler climate for their summer holidays, the overcrowded tourist destinations, such as Mallorca, could regulate themselves in view of the climate crisis. However, since we are all creatures of habit, significant communication efforts will be required to redirect tourist flows. Most people will still find it hard to imagine their favourite holiday destinations, such as Italy, southern Spain and the Côte d’Azur, will be too hot in the summer to visit.
A joint effort of tourism boards, travel companies, tour operators and communication experts from global agencies, like Allison Worldwide, need to influence and advise travelers to make the right decision on their future travel choices. Not only will we need to redirect tourism flows, but we also make more of an effort to make tourism more sustainable. Since more people are travelling, the carbon emission footprint will also increase [6]. This makes it increasingly important to implement more sustainable practices in tourism to maintain the reputation of tourism.
Allison Worldwide, a global communication agency, can play an essential role in this regard. Together with traditional and social media, we can provide insights and ideas to travelers for novel places to visit. Travellers are now more open to new destinations. [7] Millennials are the biggest group of travelers in the main touristic markets (China, U.S., Germany, Japan and UK) [8] and they love to explore unfamiliar places; it is the perfect time to create an interest in new dots on the map!
However, this topic is extraordinarily complex, as tourism is crucial for many economies. That is why measures must take this into consideration when redirecting tourist flows. One solution could be to redirect tourism within a country: for example, shifting from southern [9] Spain and the Spanish islands to northern Spain, or from Provence to Brittany in France.
In general, redirecting tourists will require substantial investments in currently less-visited regions. Some destinations simply do not have the hotel room capacity to welcome larger numbers of tourists. Moreover, the infrastructure will also have to adapt to an increasing number of tourists. Roads will have to be built, signs installed, and restaurants will have to offer more choices adapted to international guests. Therefore, the governments will have to take substantial investments and funding in order for the endeavor to work.
Another strategy is to travel within the shoulder season, which more travelers already do, according to the Guardian. [10] This can also help to solve the overtourism problem. So far, most people have taken their holidays in the busy season from July to August. This often leads to increased water shortages when droughts are already severe. Traveling during the shoulder season can redirect tourists to times when heat waves and droughts are less frequent, reducing the overall number of tourists in already overcrowded regions. This can also calm the heated atmosphere in some regions, where locals feel overwhelmed by lots of tourists and overpriced rents that drive them out of their homes.
Communicating this difficult topic effectively will require a great deal of finesse. Some regions might feel threatened, as their economy relies heavily on tourism. While they may protest mass tourism, they might not be happy if suddenly no tourists visit. This would also mean they make less money. Therefore, the PR strategy will need to consider many different factors. Crisis communication strategies will be a crucial part of the overall PR strategy for the project’s success. The challenge will offer new opportunities to regions not currently on the map for tourists and pose difficulties to now typical touristic regions. However, if done in the right way, this new challenge can also offer new opportunities to both.
Communication must go beyond offering new destination ideas; it needs to address travellers, tour operators, travel agencies and local tourism boards. The endeavour to redirect tourism streams will only succeed if communication effectively accommodates all parties involved.
As communication experts, we consider it our duty to work together with tourism boards, travel companies and hotel chains to make tourism more sustainable by redirecting tourist flows. By collaborating with global media, we can persuade, inspire, reassure and motivate all parties involved to build a new future for tourism, overcoming the immense challenges that climate change poses to tourist regions worldwide. The issue is pressing and must be tackled sooner than later! The reputation and future of tourism will depend on it, and with it a 7.7 trillion-dollar industry that contributes 7.6 % to the global GDP (Gross Domestic Product). [11]
Laetitia Hornler is as an account director at Allison based in our Munich office. She founded her own travel platform mamistravelguide.com and has 7+ years of experience in the travel industry as a pr & marketing consultant. She was a freelance journalist for GEO magazine, travel blogger and influencer and a travel advisor for luxury clients.
[1] https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20240730-how-climate-change-can-affect-your-summer-vacation
[2] https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/24/world/europe/drought-farming-tourism.html
[3] https://www.theguardian.com/travel/article/2024/jul/02/my-escape-is-going-north-heatwaves-begin-to-drive-tourists-in-europe-to-cool-climes
[4] https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20240730-how-climate-change-can-affect-your-summer-vacation
[5] https://www.theguardian.com/travel/article/2024/jul/02/my-escape-is-going-north-heatwaves-begin-to-drive-tourists-in-europe-to-cool-climes
[6] https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2023/08/temperatures-tourism-climate-impact/
[7] https://skift.com/2023/01/10/the-anywhere-traveler-puts-new-destinations-on-the-map/
[8] https://www.statista.com/outlook/mmo/travel-tourism/worldwide#global-comparison
[9] https://www.statista.com/outlook/mmo/travel-tourism/worldwide#global-comparison
[10] https://www.theguardian.com/travel/article/2024/jul/02/my-escape-is-going-north-heatwaves-begin-to-drive-tourists-in-europe-to-cool-climes
