Editing IPCC:AR6/SROCC/Chapter-5 (section)

===== 5.5.2.3.4 Coastal tourism =====

The coastal tourism economic sector is highly sensitive to climate change. Tourism response, in terms of mitigating carbon emissions and adapting to climate change impacts, are assessed here. Coastal tourism is likely to be impacted by ecosystem degradation and loss ( ''limited evidence, medium agreement'' ), which underscores the importance of nature-based tourism. An example of coastal erosion in Latin America illustrates this, whereby SLR interacting with non-climate change impacts including sand mining, inappropriate development and habitat destruction (e.g., mangroves), resulted in declines in tourism (Rangel-Buitrago et al., 2015). The management recommendation was appropriate legislation with a marine spatial planning emphasis, enforcement, sustainable funding mechanisms and support networks for decision making.

Climate change impacts upon tourism are nuanced and not restricted to just physical impacts on tourism establishments (Biggs et al., 2015). Understanding the drivers of tourist choices could help support adaptation in the industry through marine spatial planning processes (Papageorgiou, 2016). For example, in an survey ranking mitigation and adaptation responses in Greece, tourists prioritised rational energy use, energy efficiency and water saving measures (Michailidou et al., 2016b). Location specific information of tourist choices could help shape local industries. In one example from the Thailand dive industry, climate change adaptation responses of participants were reported to be based on misconceptions about climate change and personal observations (Tapsuwan and Rongrongmuang, 2015). To improve community-based adaptation, efforts aimed at broadening the level of awareness about climate change could improve decision making processes (Tapsuwan and Rongrongmuang, 2015). Tourist behaviour is shaped by changing ocean physical processes and degrading ecosystems at tourist destinations, which drive destination changes, economic flows and market share adjustments. (Bujosa et al., 2015; De Urioste-Stone et al., 2016).

It is very likely that climate change will have direct and nuanced impacts upon coastal tourism. Improving decision support frameworks ( ''low evidence, medium agreement'' ) for better-informed decision making tools could contribute towards increasing resilience in coastal tourism ( ''low evidence, limited agreement'' ).

<div id="section-5-5-2-2human-systems-block-6"></div>

<span id="government-responses"></span>