Case study Malta : climate change and tourism : risks, hazards and resilience - an island perspective

Abstract

According to the recent 2014 United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) assessment of tourism, Europe still accounts for over 42% of all tourist arrivals and in absolute terms growth still continues to be led by Southern and Mediterranean Europe, which reported some 11 million more international arrivals (+6%) in 2013. In this respect, tourism provides a significant and often growing contribution to GDP (up to 30%) for such regions. The Mediterranean also provides a fitting example where direct and indirect pressures from climate change are increasingly impacting on the often unsustainable tourism developments along much of the Mediterranean coastline and hinterlands. Malta , in this respect, provides an interesting case where up to 29% of GDP is reliant on the tourist economy and where such pressures and vulnerability are increasing.

Evidence that explores the current environmental and climatic pressures confronting the current sustainability of tourism development and growth for Malta and the wider Mediterranean are considered. This includes an evaluation of current threats, management issues and consequent policy choices. The chapter proposes that public perception and policy implementation often ignore environmental and climate change warnings especially from ecological change, sea level rise, increasing extreme climatic events and increasing water scarcity often resulting in inadequate or inappropriate tourism destination management responses. In conclusion integrated sustainable tourism management strategies are considered and advocated for managing tourism across the Maltese Islands. Recommendations are , in turn, considered which aim to ameliorate projected impacts on the Maltese tourism industry. Lessons suggest that these should increasingly focus on , for example, more effective responses to changing consumer behaviour and demands, the development of new and quality niche markets, promoting better response to ‘Green’ policy agendas, the promotion of capacity building and long term strategic thinking measures together with more co-ordinated responses to risk, media, employment and environmental awareness strategies. In summary warnings are proffered for the future sustainability of Maltese tourism and further implications implied for Mediterranean tourism and tourist destinations globally if such lessons are not heeded.