Perceptions of climate change and water availability in the Mediterranean tourist sector. A case study of the Muga River basin (Girona, Spain)

• Date: 19 August 2019
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCCSM-10-2018-0070
• Published date: 19 August 2019
• Pages: 552-569
• Author: Maria Torres-Bagur,Anna Ribas Palom,Josep Vila-Subirós
• Subject Matter: Public policy & environmental management,Environmental issues,Climate change

Perceptions of climate change and

water availability in the

Mediterranean tourist sector

A case study of the Muga River basin

(Girona, Spain)

Maria Torres-Bagur,Anna Ribas Palom and Josep Vila-Subir

os

Department of Geography and Institute of Environment,

University of Girona, Girona, Spain

Abstract

Purpose –The purpose of this paper is understand these perceptions and identify main problems

associated toclimate change in order to design effective mitigationand adaptation strategies to guarantee the

sustainability of tourism and natural resources. The Mediterranean basin is a leading internationaltourist

destination and one that is particularlyvulnerable to the effects of climate change. Although these effects are

largely known, in-depth studies of how they and the associated risks are perceived by key tourism

stakeholdershave not been performed.

Design/methodology/approach –Interviews wereheld with 31 hotels, campsites and rural lodgingsin

the Muga River basin in north-east Catalonia,in which both owners and managers were asked about their

perceptionsof climate change, effects and countermeasures.

Findings –Perceptions of climatechange and its effects varied according to the type of establishmentand

location (coast, cities or inland).Signif‌icant differences were observed for perceptions of how responsibilities

for implementing mitigation and adaptation measures to counter the effects of climate change, including

water shortages, should be shared out between the main agents with an interest in guaranteeing the

sustainability of tourism, namely, government bodies, tourist establishments and clients. The predominant

opinion,however, was that the bulk of the responsibility should lie with government bodies.

Practical implications –Only when those responsible for running touristestablishments are aware of

the risks of climate change, it will be possible to design and implement effective short-, medium- and long-

term strategiesaimed at strengthening the resilience of the touristindustry.

Originality/value –The originality of this study lies in its novel methodology and approach, which

involved analyzing perceptions of climatechange, including water shortages and its effects among owners

and managersof different types of tourist accommodation establishmentsin distinct parts of the same area.

Keywords Climate change, Lodging industry, Perception, Mediterranean basin, Water resources

Paper type Research paper

© Maria Torres-Bagur, Anna Ribas Palom and Josep Vila-Subir

os. Published by Emerald Publishing

Limited. This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) licence.

Anyone may reproduce, distribute, translate and create derivative works of this article (for both

commercial & non-commercial purposes), subject to full attribution to the original publication and

authors. The full terms of this licence may be seen at http://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/

legalcode

This study was carried out with the f‌inancial support of the Spanish Ministry of Economy and

Competitiveness through the project “Incentives and barriers to water conservation in the tourism

sector. Analysis and proposals for ef‌f‌icient water management”(CSO2016-75740-P).

IJCCSM

11,4

552

Received9 October 2018

Revised1 December 2018

6 January2019

Accepted3 March 2019

InternationalJournal of Climate

ChangeStrategies and

Management

Vol.11 No. 4, 2019

pp. 552-569

EmeraldPublishing Limited

1756-8692

DOI 10.1108/IJCCSM-10-2018-0070

The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:

www.emeraldinsight.com/1756-8692.htm

1. Introduction

Climate change represents a major environmental challenge. Data and projections from all

levels indicate that climate changewill have a major impact on, practically, all sectors of the

economy, including the tourist industry. The Mediterranean basin, together with other

leading tourist destinations, is likely to be among the most seriously affected areas

(Perry, 2006;Rutty and Scott, 2010;Estrelaet al.,2012;March et al.,2014;Roson and Sartori,

2014;Klontza et al.,2016). Effects could change holiday destination choices and demand,

with the Mediterraneanlosing out to other destinations with more desirable or stable climate

conditions (Gössling et al.,2006;Rutty and Scott, 2010;Roson and Sartori, 2014). It is, thus,

crucial to take measures to help at-risk destinations prepare for new environmental

conditions in which water availability will be an even more critical issue than it is today

(Gössling and Hall, 2015).

It is f‌irst necessary, however, to know how local stakeholders perceive the effects of

climate change and to identifythe steps they have taken or would be willing to take to adapt

to this changing scenarioand mitigate potential effects. Very few studieshave performed an

in-depth analysis of how the general population or specif‌ic sectors of society perceive

climate change and its possible effects. A greater understanding of public perceptions is

necessary to inform mitigationand adaptation strategies and help stakeholders prepare for

the risks (G

omez et al.,2017), including water shortages. The actions taken by different

stakeholders, whether now or in the future, will determine whether the effects of climate

change are magnif‌ied or diminished(Bord et al.,1998).

The main aim of this study was to analyze perceptions of climate change effects among

owners and managers of tourist accommodation establishments (hotels,campsites and rural

lodgings) in the Muga River basin and determine what countermeasures they have

implemented or are planning on implementing. The Muga River basin is located in the

extreme north-east of the Iberian Peninsula, in the Mediterranean basin.Regional and local

climate projections show rising temperatures and sea levels and more erratic rainfall,

leading to an increase in drought frequency and severity. An additional concern is a

progressive increasein demand for water, which in the tourist industry peaks in the summer

months, when water is scarcest (Third Reporton Climate Change in Catalonia, 2016). Water

shortage problems have increased in recent years and look set to continue to do so.

According to data from the MEDACC Life projecton the impacts of climate change on water

resources in the Mediterranean Basin, the period between 1970 and 2015 saw a 60 per cent

reduction in rainfall during the summer months and a 6.5 per cent overall annual reduction

(Pascual et al.,2016). In the same period, the mean f‌low of the Muga River fell by almost 50

per cent. Projectionsfor 2050 indicate an additional decline of 7.6 per cent in summer rainfall

and 20 per cent in mean river f‌low. Models also forecast an increase in the frequency and

intensity of drought periods, particularly between 2021 and 2051, which will increase the

risk of forest f‌ires in an area that is already high-risk.

2. Theoretical framework

The need to promote sustainabilitycriteria as a means of ensuring the future of tourism was

highlighted during the f‌irst world conference on sustainable tourism held in Lanzarote in

1995. This need is even more evidentnow in view of how changing climate conditions have

and will continue to affect tourism. The f‌irst studies on climate change mitigation and

adaptation measuresapplied to the tourist industry appeared at the beginning of the twenty-

f‌irst century and it became increasingly evident to some authors that such measures were

essential if tourism was to be sustained (Kaján and Saarinen,2013).

The

Mediterranean

tourist sector

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