ORIGINAL PAPER

Bioclimatic comfort and the thermal perceptions and preferences

of beach tour istsMichelle Rutty &Daniel Scott

Received: 8 October 2013 /Revised: 6 December 2013 /Accepted: 6 March 2014

# ISB 2014

Abstract The largest market segment of global tourism is

coastal tourism, which is strongly dependent on the destina-

tion's thermal climate. To date, outdoor bioclimatic comfort

assessments have focused exclusively on local residents in

open urban areas, making it unclear whether outdoor comfort

isperceived differently in non-urban environmentsor by non-

residents(i.e. tourists) with different weather expectationsand

activity patterns. This study provides needed insight into the

perception of outdoor microclimatic conditions in a coastal

environment whilesimultaneously identifying important psy-

chological factors that differentiate tourists from everyday

users of urban spaces. Concurrent micrometeorological mea-

surements were taken on several Caribbean beaches in the

islands of Barbados, Saint Lucia and Tobago, while a ques-

tionnaire survey was used to examine the thermal comfort of

subjects (n=472). Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI)

conditions of 32 to 39 °C were recorded, which were per-

ceived as being “slightly warm” or “warm” by respondents.

Most beach users (48 to 77 %) would not change the thermal

conditions, with some (4 to 15 %) preferring even warmer

conditions. Evenat UTCI of 39 °C, 62%of respondentsvoted

for nochangetocurrent thermal conditions, with anadditional

10 % stating that they would like to feel even warmer. These

results indicatethat beach users’ thermal preferencesareup to

18 °Cwarmer than thepreferred thermal conditionsidentified

in existing outdoor bioclimatic studies from urban park set-

tings. This indicates that beach users hold fundamentally

different comfort perceptions and preferences compared to

peopleusing urban spaces. Statistically significant differences

(p≤.05) were also recorded for demographic groups (gender,

age) and place of origin (climatic region).

Keywords Thermal comfort .Thermal perception .Coastal

tourism .Universal Thermal ClimateIndex .Beachtourist .

Caribbean

Introduction

Tourism has expanded and diversified to become one of the

world’slargest economicsectors. In2012, international tourist

arrivals exceeded one billion for the first time in history,

contributing 9 % to global GDP, US$1.3 trillion in exports

and providing 1 in 11 jobs globally (United Nations World

Tourism Organization 2013). Coastal tourism is the largest

market segment of global tourism (Hall 2001; Honey and

Krantz 2007; United Nations Environment Programme

2009), with “coastal destinations, beaches and beach resorts

synonymous with tourism, tourism growth and economic

success” (Jonesand Phillips 2011, p. xvii).Coastal tourism isstrongly dependent upon a destination’s

natural resources, including beach quality and extent, as well

as climate. This is evidenced by some of the world’s largest

international tourism flows travelling from cooler regions to

warmer regions in search of 3S(sun, sea, sand) holidays (e.g.

NorthAmericato theCaribbean, NorthernEuropetoSouthern

Europe and the Mediterranean, Australia to Southeast Asia).

Behavioural observationsof tourists reveal that microclimatic

conditions have a substantial effect on the usage of coastal

areas, with tourists responding to the combined effects of

weather elements (i.e. thermal, physical, aesthetic) (de

Freitas2003). Sunshineand higher temperaturesare correlat-

ed with crowded beaches, while cool temperatures, rain and

windy conditionsdeter usersand result in low levelsof beach

use (de Freitas 1990; Moreno et al. 2009; Martinez Ibarra

2011). Studies of stated climatic preferences have found that

tourists’ ideal conditionsfor abeach holiday rangefrom 27 to

32 °C (Scott et al. 2008; Moreno 2010; Rutty and Scott 2010;

M. Rutty (* ) :D. ScottUniversity of Waterloo, Waterloo, Canadae-mail: mkrutty@uwaterloo.ca

Int J BiometeorolDOI 10.1007/s00484-014-0820-x

Author's personal copy

24 June 2014 CDKN-GIVRAPD-ParCA Workshop

Tourism Sector Research Program

Travel and Tourism Research Association:

Keeling Dissertation Award (Belgium 2014)

Climate Change Drivers

Non-Climate Drivers

Tourism Sector Multiple Climate Change Risks

Journal Papers 1,2,3,4

Journal Paper 5, 6

Journal Paper 7

“The immediate current threats are emerging as our major tourism markets seek to take urgent and decisive action to

curb their own contributions to climate change. In so doing these developed nations risk curtailing the Caribbean

region’s efforts to develop its societies and economies through its participation in the global tourism industry”

Caribbean Hotel Association-Caribbean Tourism Organization - 2007

Impact of a Carbon Tax on

Air Travel and Tourism?

Impact of the Air Passenger Duty on the Geography of UK Outbound Tourism

Band A: £13 to £26

Band B: £67 to £134

Band C: £83 to £166

Band D: £94 to £188

ChangeinAPDFeeStructure(a)

DistributionofUKAirTravellers

BandA BandB BandC BandDTotal Nov.2008–Oct2009 72.6% 18.4% 7.0% 2.0%Nov.2009–Oct2010 72.2% 18.7% 7.0% 2.1%Nov.2010–Oct.2011 72.8% 18.3% 6.9% 2.0%

CharterFlights Nov.2008–Oct2009 82.9% 9.3% 7.8% 0.01%Nov.2009–Oct2010 84.3% 8.2% 7.6% 0.01%Nov.2010–Oct.2011 83.9% 8.2% 7.9% 0.01%

Scott, D., Hall, C.M., Besco, L., Gössling, S. (2015) Has the Air Passenger Duty Altered the Geography of Outbound Tourism from the UK? Journal of Sustainable Tourism.

Gössling, S., Scott, D., Hall, C.M. (2014) Inter-market variability in CO2 emission-intensity in tourism: Insights for energy policy and carbon management. Tourism Management. 46, 203-212.

Island Destinations Will Not become ‘Too Hot’ for Tourism

Rutty M, Scott D. (2014). Thermal Range of Coastal Tourism Resort Microclimates. Tourism Geographies.

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Jan Feb Mar April May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec

Tem

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ratu

re (°C)

Montego Bay Saint Lucia (Castries) Tobago (Scarborough) Mauritius (Rodrigues) Seychelles

Too Hot

Ideal

Too Cool

Climate Conditions in 2046-2065

Temperature Preferences for Beach Holidays Based on 2012 survey of North American and European tourists

Rutty M, Scott D. (2013). Differential Climate Preferences of Int’l Beach Tourists. Climate Research, 57: 259-269. Rutty M, Scott D. (2014). Bioclimatic comfort and the thermal perceptions and preferences of beach tourists. International Journal of Biometeorology.

Sea Level Rise and Coastal Tourism

Transformative implications for property values, insurance costs, destination marketing and competitiveness.

‘Coastal Squeeze’: when 3S tourism, becomes 2S

Coastal Tourism Risk to SLR in Caribbean Countries

29% of coastal resorts partially flooded by +1m SLR

49% to 60% of coastal resort properties damaged by erosion associated with +1m SLR

+1m SLR Risk Mapping: Paradise Island, Bahamas

Scott, D. Sim, R., Simpson, M. (2013) Sea Level Rise Impacts on Coastal Resorts in the Caribbean. Journal of Sustainable Tourism. 20 (6). 883-898.

Underestimated Risk from

Satellite Data

Lightweight and easy to use, Aeryon sUAS provide:

Point-and-click touchscreen navigation and camera control – no joysticks required Single operator transport and deployment, no launch or recovery equipment

Integrated and independently stabilized imaging payloads Embedded geotags and metadata enable sharing live target location and image processing

Aeryon small Unmanned Aerial Systems (sUAS), Aeryon Scout™ and Aeryon SkyRanger™, enable the immediate and reliable collection

The Aeryon Map Edition

Aeryon Map Edition

YOUR COMPLETEAERIAL MAPPING AND SURVEYING

SOLUTION

Aeryon Map Edition includes:

Aeryon Scout or Aeryon SkyRanger sUAS

3D output visualization and editing

2014: Small Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (sUAV)

Community / Market Place Implications of Coastal Protection and Beach Nourishment

Beach nourishment / structural protection is very expensive and creates adaptation path dependency

Influence resort price structure / credit risk and ROI, property price “discounting”

International: Presentations to several high profile international audiences (e.g., UNWTO, COP 19, UNFCCC Losses and Damages, World Bank, Inter-American Development Bank) have been a central strategy to influence global tourism sector (but especially SIDS).

Coastal Setbacks in Latin America and the the Caribbean: Final Report

A study of emerging issues and trends

that inform guidelines for

coastal planning and development

A report prepared for the

Inter-American Development Bank

by

Murray Simpson, Ph.D., Colleen S.L. Mercer Clarke, Ph.D., FCSLA, John D. Clarke, P.Eng., Daniel Scott, Ph.D., Alexander J. Clarke, B.A.(Hons), B.Ed., OCT October 2012

Shaping Tourism Policy and Practice