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Second homes are essential resources for tourism and recreation. Climate change is projected to transform tourism geographies and threaten economic and recreational activities. Based on building and housing register data and national models for climate change hazards, this paper investigates whether second homes in Denmark are potentially affected. Five different hazards are used to describe climate risk based on the RCP8.5 scenario: sea level rise, storm surge events, coastal erosion, flooding from watercourses, and terrestrial groundwater. It is estimated that between 2020 and 2070 a significant number of second homes will potentially be affected by one or more of these hazards, with terrestrial groundwater being the most frequent. GIS-analysis shows the detailed geographical distribution of the affected second homes, while regional grouping highlights the most affected regions. A compound risk analysis demonstrates that a significant proportion (approximately 25%) of the Danish second homes will be affected by either one or more hazards. The analysis thereby highlights how amenity rich geographies are threatened by climate change, which could cause these areas to become risk prone. This provides a background for discussing the implications for land use policy of transforming geographies. The article highlights a need for strategic planning and active engagement with second to protect the recreational potential of second homes and local economies in coastal zones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coastal and marine environments are among the most popular areas for outdoor recreation and tourism. Coastal areas have also been identified as the most vulnerable to climate change, for example as a result of extreme events and sea-level rise. It will be increasingly important for coastal tourism destination managers to understand their vulnerability to climatic changes and to devise appropriate adaptation. This paper presents a five-step vulnerability assessment methodology for tourism in coastal areas. The five steps include (1) system analysis, (2) identification of activity and hazard sub-systems, (3) vulnerability assessments for the different sub-systems at risk, (4) integration for the destination as a whole and scenario analysis and (5) communication. The framework is illustrated by an example of how it might be applied to Fiji. The paper concludes that a consistent methodology, like the one proposed, will facilitate vulnerability assessments in a range of coastal destinations, allow comparison to be made of vulnerabilities across different situations, provide a basis for more research into specific adaptation measures and assist destinations to develop a more sustainable tourism industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coastal tourism businesses comprise a large and diverse consumer of climate and weather forecasts information. An online survey of tourism business owners, managers and support specialists was conducted within the eight North Carolina oceanfront counties asking respondents about forecast usage and purposes as well as why certain forecasts are not used. Respondents were also asked about the perceived dependency of their business on climate and weather as well as how valuable different forecasts are to their decision making. Business types represented include the following: Fishing, Outdoor Recreation, Accommodations, Food Services, Parks and Heritage, and Other. Weekly forecasts were the most popular with monthly and seasonal being the least used. Comparison analyses revealed that outdoor-oriented businesses (Fishing and Outdoor Recreation) perceived themselves significantly more dependent on climate and weather than indoor-oriented ones (Food Services and Accommodations). Outdoor businesses also valued short-range forecasts significantly more than indoor businesses. This suggests a positive relationship between perceived climate and weather dependency and forecast value. The low perceived dependency and value of short-range forecasts of indoor businesses presents an opportunity to create climate and weather information resources directed at how these businesses can capitalize on weather forecasts. The low use of long-range forecasts among all business types can be related to the low value placed on these forecasts. Most businesses found them to be ‘not important’ factors in their decision making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sea level rise (SLR) is considered a growing, certain and prominent consequence of anthropogenic climate change. Despite the high value of tourism properties and economic activity in the coastal zone, the tourism sector is largely absent from the SLR literature. This study created a geo-referenced database of 906 major coastal resort properties in 19 Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries to assess their potential risk to a scenario of one-metre SLR. An estimated 266 (29%) resort properties would be partially or fully inundated by one-metre SLR; between 440 (49%) and 546 (60%) of resort properties would be at risk of beach erosion damage associated with the same SLR scenario. In addition, many resorts would experience significant losses of beach area prior to resort property loss. The vulnerability and the adaptive capacity of individual coastal tourism properties and destination communities is argued to differ substantially. Losses of over 50% of coastal properties are likely in five countries, three of which are highly dependent on tourism. These differentials would transform the competitive position and sustainability of coastal tourism destinations in the region, with important implications for property values, potential tourism revenues, insurance costs, destination marketing, as well as local and national economies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]