Impacts of climate change on artificial and natural snow cover on ski resorts: the case of Alps ski resorts

Bc. Kseniia Shamrikova

Diplomová práce

Abstract:

Weather and climate are intrinsic components of the tourism experience, influencing tourist demand, comfort and satisfaction, as well as tourism operations (e.g. water supply, energy costs, insurance costs) and environmental resources critical to the industry (e.g. glaciers, biodiversity, water levels, snow). A changing climate has the potential to significantly influence this economically important and climate-sensitive sector (Dawson J. & Scott D. (2013). Climate change has the potential to significantly impact the winter tourism sector, particularly the ski industry, which has been identified as one of the most vulnerable industries to climatic change. Ski resorts have long been dealing with variability in seasonal temperature and natural snowfall, leading to early adaptive interventions and investments in research and development aimed at sustaining longer and more reliable snow seasons. Despite technological advances in snowmaking machinery and application, and the modernization of business plans, even the most sophisticated adaptation strategies still cannot shelter ski areas from the current and expected impacts of climate change. The implications of climate change vary substantially by market segment and geographic region and will depend on the impacts experienced by competitors. Understanding how the entire ski marketplace may transform, and may be influenced by changes to individual ski areas, can help ski resort managers as well as municipal, state, and federal decision-makers establish sustainable development plans and future management strategies.

Keywords

Climate change, Snow cover, Ski resorts, Fragmented parcels, The Alps

Jazyk práce: angličtina

Datum vytvoření / odevzdání či podání práce: 14. 3. 2024

Obhajoba závěrečné práce

• Vedoucí: doc. Peter Kumble, Ph.D.
• Oponent: Petr Bašta, Ing.

Česká zemědělská univerzita v Praze

Fakulta životního prostředí

Magisterský studijní program / obor:
Krajinné inženýrství / Landscape Planning