Master Planning Destinations for Global Climate Change and Sea Level Rise.

The world is changing and quickly.

This fact is clearly recognised by the world tourism industry as axiomatic.

At the UN World Tourism Organisation Climate Change Meting meeting held in Davos, Switzerland in October 2007, member nations of UNWTO released the Davos Declaration on October 3rd 2007 calling on the  global tourism industry to:

** Mitigate greenhouse gas emissions derived from transport and accommodation

** Adapt tourism businesses and destinations to changing climate.

** Apply existing and new technology to improve energy efficiency.

** Secure financial resources to help poor regions and countries.

All these issues require master planning expertise and urgent application to ensure the challenges of climate change are managed by the world tourism industry to avoid a descent into crisis requiring emergency response.

This article focuses on one of the four issues arising from the Davos Declaration: the adaptation of tourism businesses and destinations to changing climate and sea levels.

Governments and private tourism interests have already committed trillions of  dollars of investment capital to coastal and maritime tourism infrastructure on every inhabited continent.

Destinations under threat from rising sea level and climate change are readily identifiable, with the Maldives, Mexico’s Cancun, Florida Keys in the USA, Australia’s Queensland’s Gold Coast and Dubai, just a few of the prominent global tourism destinations at risk from either or both sea level rise and climate change within the next 20 years.

Cancun Mexico: Stunning but vulnerable to sea level and climate change.

The Maldives government clearly recognises the imminent threat of inundation from rising sea levels and surges.

During the December 26, 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami the nation of coral atolls experienced in single a day the very real threat rising sea level poses to its viability as a nation and its vital tourism infrastructure.

The Maldives tourism industry is well aware of the country’s precarious situation and is actively planning to manage sea level rise.

Destination master planning for climate change involves a range of contingency measures and actions, the feasibility of which will depend on cost and long-term benefit.

In the case of sea level rise key measures include:

** Tidal barriers to keep the sea from the coast (e.g. The Netherlands).

** A workable rapid evacuation procedure and infrastructure in the event of inundation.

** Ready access for tourists and locals to boats, ships and airlift.

** Accommodation design with sea-proof foundation and accommodation confined above an agreed future sea level.

** A guaranteed outside contingency source for essential food and fresh water supply.

** Rebuilding  accommodation and resorts on higher ground where possible.

** Legally enforceable building and construction regulations which minimise the risk of inundation.

** An inbound and outbound transport infrastructure with a viable maritime transport component.

The above points are not designed to provoke fear but represent practical measures required to deal with destinations under threat from rising sea levels.

Building tidal barriers to keep the Indian Ocean from inundating the Maldives may be technically feasible, but the vast cost and limited duration of a barrier’s effectiveness makes it at best only a stopgap measure.

The mid-long term future of the Maldives may be based on it becoming a floating nation, which presents unique challenges and opportunities for the country as a unique destination.

The real challenge posed to the tourism industry by the Davos Declaration on Climate Change goes far beyond recognition of the challenges to tourism, it is to identify and implement the appropriate measures which give practical expression to the intent of the Davos Delaration.

This is where political resolutions finish and destination master planning implemented by an alliance between governments and tourism industry professionals begins. 

An exclusive TravelMole report by David Beirman, Director, Struan & Associates, International Destination Master Planning and Marketing Tourism Crisis and Recovery Specialists.