Proceedings of the 4th World Conference on Climate Change and Global Warming
Year: 2024
DOI:
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Thriving In the Anthropocene: Uniting Tourism Communities against Climate Challenges
Gerasimina – Theodora Zapanti, Constantina Skanavis
ABSTRACT:
We live in a world where droughts, tropical storms, hurricanes, cold outbreaks and several weather events are increasing their frequency, as the planet is in critical risk. Natural disasters are the major external forces that threaten the harmony of the socio-ecological system resilience, threatening not only the well-being of humans but also the sustainability of destinations. As damage from natural hazards is increases, efforts must be made to reduce its negative impact. Quantifying community resilience is a top priority in enhancing communities’ ability to prepare for and recover from disasters. Mitigation strategies as the first line of defense, focus on the effort to reduce loss of life and property and lessening the impact of disasters. Furthermore, climate change adaptation has the potential to reduce adverse impacts of climate change and, besides that, can enhance some beneficial impacts. There is an urgent need to understand not only what can promote the resilience of community residents in tourism destinations but also the capability of residents in nature-based tourism communities to adapt to and cope with climate change. A holistic approach to recovery would focus on restoring and strengthening the most important capacities and resources which communities need to be able to cope and thrive. Therefore, we need to focus on understanding the relationships between tourism and community resilience to address planning and development goals in an era of increasing climate uncertainty. Ultimately, the goal is to chart a course towards sustainable and resilient tourism destinations that can endure the challenges of our changing climate while benefiting both local communities and their economy.
keywords: adaptation; climate change; community resilience; mitigation; natural disaster recovery