Author(s)

Aysun Aygün Oğur

Department of City and Regional Planning, Pamukkale University, Denizli, Türkiye.

The climate is an important variable for the tourism sector since it influences the travel period, duration of stay, and the type of activities that can be engaged in. The global climate crisis will have inevitable impacts on the tourism sector as many others. One of the most extensively discussed impacts on tourism in the literature is heat stress and relatedly changing climatic comfort at tourism destinations. The change in comfortable and suitable climatic conditions is expected to shift tourism seasons and popular destinations from overheated locations and time periods to more preferable ones. These alterations are critical and might be devastating specifically for tourism-dependent economies. Therefore, it is vital to assess the variations in climatic conditions and take adaptation actions. Based on this necessity, this study aims to analyze the climate change impacts on tourism climate comfort by utilizing Holiday Climate Index (HCI): Urban and addressing the alternative tourism attractions for adaptation. Türkiye is one of the most popular and most vulnerable tourism destinations because of its exposure to heatwaves, especially in the summer period. This study focused on Denizli Province, an alternative tourism destination, to determine its potential to have a role in adaptation. The analysis (HCI: Urban) is conducted for 1971-2000/reference year, 2023-2050/medium-term projections, and 2070-2098/long-term projections for two different scenarios; RCP 4.5 (moderate impact) and RCP 8.5 (high impact). To compare the spatial distribution of comfort levels and evaluate the alteration, ArcGIS software is operated. The results present that there are potential alternative tourism attractions in different locations and different seasons in Denizli which can be beneficial for tourism adaptation strategies. This study is important to shed light on the emerging potential of alternative tourism attractions and provide a roadmap for strategic tourism planning.

Climate Change, Tourism, HCI Urban, Adaptation, Türkiye

Aygün Oğur, A. (2023) Application of Holiday Climate Index (HCI): Urban to Potential Alternative Tourism Attractions. Current Urban Studies, 11, 497-520. doi: 10.4236/cus.2023.113026.