Perceptions of Climate Risk and Efforts to Adapt to Climate Change : An Example for Tourism Industries in Northwest Michigan USA

Current and projected future climate changes will threaten the tourism industry worldwide. However, little is known about perceptions of climate risk among key players in the tourism industry and the efforts they are taking to adapt to climate change. This research seeks to identify the climate change adaptation strategies and adaptive capacities of critical tourism industries in Northwest Michigan. This qualitative research 1) examines climate change projections for the region; 2) uses key informant interviews of 55 tourism managers within the region to identify the adaptation efforts for local agriculture, water, and winter-based tourism industries; 3) assesses implications and intervention options. Climate projections from the Great Lakes Integrated Sciences and Assessments (GLISA) for 2040-2059 and local industry perceptions show that changes in summer precipitation are most important for the water recreation sector, fall and summer precipitation is most crucial to the agritourism sector; and changes in average winter temperature is the winter recreation sector’s greatest concern. Recently observed climatic change has resulted in various adverse impacts including increased erosion and invasive species decreasing yields.Current adaptation efforts include expanding the resilience of coastal formations and infrastructure, using climate resilient plant varieties, altering agricultural and operational practices, and introducing and updating snow-making technology. In response to these observed changes and potential future changes in climate, the tourism industry has applied numerous adaptation efforts that involve small scale strategies such as increased communication and large projects involving infrastructure updates that will better position the region’s tourism industry to cope with, and even benefit from climate change.