Climate Change and Tourism in the Asia Pacific

Climate change will exert an enormous impact on all societies in the medium to long term. Tourism, as both a commercial activity and social phenomenon is not immune. To date, industry has been slow to recognise the scale of the threat posed by a changing climate on its operations and consumers have been extremely reluctant to modify their travel behaviours. The Asia Pacific region is well on the way to being the 21st Century powerhouse of tourism, however the manner in which it develops will, in part, be determined by how the global community responds to climate change. This book examines climate change issues related to tourism in the Asia Pacific region. Chapters discuss demand and supply side issues, explore government policy responses and introduce several new adaptation models. The book also calls for a more effective linking of social science research with the scientific discourse to create long term resolution of and adaptation to this issue. This book was published as a special issue of Asia Pacific Journal of Tourism Research.