Climate change to lower tourism revenues in Mediterranean regions: study

Climate change could affect tourism demand in European Union (EU) regions as altered climatic conditions may influence the relative allure of different regions, said the press release of the European Commission's Joint Research Center (JRC).

Under current economic conditions, the 2100 climate could lower tourism revenues by up to 0.45 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) per year in the EU's Mediterranean regions, while other EU regions in northern Europe could gain up to 0.32 percent of GDP.

The study, which looks at the adaptation of tourism demand to climate change in Europe, analyzed the potential impact of climate change on tourism in the EU and provided long-term projections in terms of holiday duration and frequency.

According to the study, the demand adaptation in terms of timing of holidays would be more costly for southern European regions and more beneficial to northern and central European countries and the British Isles.

Moreover, the adaptation in the duration of holidays appears to limit both the losses of southern European regions and the gains of northern regions.

However, the study didn't consider non-EU regions. In some instances, visitors from outside the EU can represent a large share of tourism demand, although current evidence suggests that EU tourism demand originates mainly from within the EU, said the study. Endit