Wk5: Mini Lit Review Cur Topics

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Adapting to Climate change in the Recreational Travel Industry

Trae Clavo

Doctor of Business Administration (Candidate)

Current Topics in Leadership and Management (Bus-8010-X007)

Dr. Robert Roller

Sept 25, 2022

Adapting to Climate Change in the Recreational Travel 

One of the industries which have been growing in the past decade is the recreational travel industry. This industry focuses on providing tourists with an experience of active participation in different recreational activities, sports, or cultural events. Although this industry has been on the rise, climate change has impacted it in several ways, threatening its success. These implications have necessitated the organizations involved in this business to implement several strategies to adapt to climate change. This essay aims to explore the need for the recreational travel industry to adapt to climatic change, Comment by Robert Roller: This is not supposed to be an essay—it’s a literature review.

Critical Analysis of Topic

Topics of the Study

One of the topics relevant to the study is the consequences of climatic change on the recreational travel industry. The effects of climate change caused by a rise in temperature have negatively impacted this industry in several ways. However, it manifests itself differently across different tourism destinations worldwide. Tourism and recreation rely primarily on natural systems, and the effects of climate change on these systems, from forests to streams, will have repercussions for leisure and recreation, such as a decline in forestry and increased temperatures. Forests are a vital area for recreation and a valuable asset of the recreational travel industry, where a decrease in forestry will negatively impact the revenue of this industry. Comment by Robert Roller: This is not supposed to be a study—it’s a literature review. Comment by Robert Roller: Citations needed.

Additionally, the discomfort caused by increased temperature has decreased the desire for sun and beaches in many tourist areas. The second topic is the strategies that can be used for these industries and critical stakeholders to adapt to climate change. One of the strategies that can be used is coordinating the local and regional policies to support climate protection strategies.

Concepts

Climate change refers to a long-term alteration in an area's average weather conditions, such as its average temperature, precipitation, and wind speed. This change negatively impacts the world by causing extreme weather conditions, increased temperatures, and acidic rain (Dietz et al., 2020). Although climate change is induced by natural climate variability, human activity can also affect climate change. However, the type of climate change happening to the world is primarily a result of these human factors such as deforestation and greenhouse gas emissions. These climate changes have impacted several industries worldwide, including the recreational travel industry, which has resulted in a decrease in revenue and a steady decline in this industry. Comment by Robert Roller: Where are your citations for this information?

Theories

The theory which will be used to support the need for the recreational travel industry to adapt to climate change is the change theory. The theory of change provides a comprehensive description and illustrates how and why the desired change is anticipated to occur in a specific setting. This theory will focus on mapping or "filling in" what has been called the "missing middle" between a change initiative performance and how they lead to the achievement of desired outcomes (Reinholz & Andrews, 2020). It accomplishes this by first identifying the desired long-term goals and then working backward to determine all the outcomes that must be in place for the goals to be realized. This theory will support the need for this industry to adapt to climate change by establishing the expected goals to attain the expected outcomes.

Themes, Debates, or Gaps in Literature

The first theme which was identified is the role that tourism plays in climate change. Pang et al. (2013) argue that although the tourism industry can be considered a loser due to climate change, it has also played a part in climate change by producing approximately 5% of carbon dioxide emissions and 14% of greenhouse gases. These findings are also supported by Fang et al. (2017). The authors state that the tourism industry contributes approximately 5% of the global emission and predict it will rise to 130%. Comment by Robert Roller: You have not reported this correctly. It is not mathematically possible for one industry to account for more that 130% of total emissions. It may be that it will rise BY 130%, but that’s a very different statement.

The second theme is the adaptation strategies that this industry can implement to overcome the negative implications of climate change. The study by Hoogendoorn and Fitchett (2016) has identified several adaptation strategies which can be used to deal with climate change. The first recommendation is for organizations to adjust recreational tourism activities to cooler times of the day, which can help overcome increased temperatures due to global warming. The second adaptation strategy entails shifting from water to land-based activities to drill to water activities to help counter droughts due to climate change, ensuring wild animals have access to water and tourists. Thirdly is the diversification of beach offerings, such as the introduction of board games and satellite television during poor climates. Kaján and Saarinen (2013) also highlight some of the adaptation measures which organizations in this industry can implement. Some of the measures the authors highlighted include the diversification of production, the utilization of artificial snow, and the relocation of recreational tourist sites. The authors argue that the flexibility of tourists to adapt their behavior based on weather changes makes implementing these adaptation strategies easier. However, if the frequency of extreme temperatures due to global changes increase, there is a high likelihood that these changes will be a vital influencing factor to tourist destination and preferences. Comment by Robert Roller: Awkward sentence structure – I can’t tell what this sentence actually means.

The third theme is the impact of climate change on the recreational travel industry. Hoogendoorn and Fitchett (2016) state that climate change will increase temperatures, negatively impacting the tourism industry. Additionally, these climatic changes will lead to precipitation changes in different regions, negatively impacting tourism due to a decrease in outdoor recreational or water-based activities in these regions. The other negative implications include a decrease in the quality of coastal destinations due to rising sea levels and a reduction in the attractiveness of a region due to severe air pollution and coral bleaching associated with climate change. Although these authors have discussed the negative implication of global warming, Kaján and Saarinen (2013) argue that it can positively impact tourism, such as increasing the number of cruise ships visiting coastal communities within the Arctic due to changing ice conditions. Additionally, it increases the demand for vulnerable places such as melting glaciers or polar bear destinations, increasing this industry's revenue. Comment by Robert Roller: undefined

Although the selected literature has widely discussed the issue of tourism and adapting to climate change, there is a gap in the recreational travel industry. Additionally, the effectiveness of the selected adaptation strategies has not been evaluated by research studies revealing a gap that can be addressed in this study. Comment by Robert Roller: What is this gap? Comment by Robert Roller: This is not a study (it’s a literature review). Perhaps you have identified a gap that can be addressed in future studies.

Applicability of Articles to Current Issue

These articles apply to the study because they discuss the consequences of climate change on tourism, the adaptation strategies that can be used in this industry, and the role of tourists. Both studies carried out a systematic review of existing literature to inform their research process. The articles used were peer-reviewed and from suitable authorities, making them valid and appropriate to meet the research objectives. Additionally, both articles contribute to tourism and climate change research by identifying consequences and adaptation strategies. However, there were no limitations noted by the authors of these articles. Comment by Robert Roller: What studies? Comment by Robert Roller: Which means you should identify them.

Climate change has impacted several industries in the world, with one of them being the recreational travel industry. It has reduced the number of activities in which tourists can participate due to adverse weather conditions and increased temperatures. However, several adaptation strategies can be implemented to address this issue. These strategies include diversification of production, using artificial snow, and relocating recreational tourist sites.

References

Dietz, T., Shwom, R., & Whitley, C. (2020). Climate Change and Society.  Annual Review Of Sociology,  46(1), 135-158. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-soc-121919-054614 Comment by Robert Roller: In titles of references, only the first word of the title and subtitle, along with proper names or acronyms, should be capitalized.

Fang, Y., Yin, J., & Wu, B. (2017). Climate change and tourism: a scientometric analysis using CiteSpace.  Journal Of Sustainable Tourism,  26(1), 108-126. https://doi.org/10.1080/09669582.2017.1329310 Comment by Robert Roller: First word of subtitle should be capitalized.

Hoogendoorn, G., & Fitchett, J. (2016). Tourism and climate change: a review of threats and adaptation strategies for Africa.  Current Issues In Tourism,  21(7), 742-759. https://doi.org/10.1080/13683500.2016.1188893 Comment by Robert Roller: Words like “in” and “of” (see below) are not capitalized.

Kaján, E., & Saarinen, J. (2013). Tourism, climate change and adaptation: a review.  Current Issues In Tourism,  16(2), 167-195. https://doi.org/10.1080/13683500.2013.774323

Pang, S., McKercher, B., & Prideaux, B. (2013). Climate Change and Tourism: An Overview.  Asia Pacific Journal Of Tourism Research,  18(1-2), 4-20. https://doi.org/10.1080/10941665.2012.688509 Comment by Robert Roller: In titles of references, only the first word of the title and subtitle, along with proper names or acronyms, should be capitalized.

Reinholz, D., & Andrews, T. (2020). Change theory and theory of change: what's the difference anyway?.  International Journal Of STEM Education,  7(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40594-020-0202-3

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