The vulnerability of Swiss Alpine tourism to climate change. An analysis of its causes, its magnitude, and its spatial heterogeneity

In this work, we analyze the vulnerability of tourism to climate change in 53 Swiss alpine regions. We analyzed in particular the impacts generated by changes in climate suitability for tourism activities, snowpack reduction, glaciers melting, permafrost melting, natural hazards, water scarcity and changes in landscape and scenic beauty. We selected 70 indicators describing the exposure, the sensitivity and the adaptive capacity of each of these areas. Simulations on the possible impacts and statistical data were collected for the different regions. The obtained results consent to identify the most important drivers influencing vulnerability. They moreover permit to assess spatial heterogeneity in vulnerability. Finally, they allow recognizing hotspots - areas where the implementation of adaptation measures is more crucial