Destination-scale responses
Adventure tourists currently visit a huge variety of different destinations, with a wide range of different climates, to undertake a great variety of different activities. It the conditions or attractions at a particular destination are modified by climate change, the easiest response by the commercial adventure tourism industry is simply to offer different products to different markets. It there is no longer enough natural snow to ski, ski resorts make artificial snow, as long as it freezes hard enough at night and there is enough water to spare. And if winter is shorter, winter ski resorts reposition themselves as all-season mountain resort-residential developments.
The second major approach is for the industry to take active measures to protect infrastructure against the effects of climate change. An island tourist resort, for example, may invest in protective seawalls to guard against the risks of more severe. Conservation of icon wildlife species may involve private as well as public reserves, with tourism interests in each. In regions where adventure tourism forms a significant component of the economy, industry associations and entrepreneurs may be represented directly in planning processes to protect critical infrastructure such as roads, power, and water supplies; and to establish and maintain emergency services and evacuation plans. Tourist lodges and resorts in areas without access to reliable municipal infrastructure may be able to upgrade their own, e.g. by building or enlarging local water supply dams, installing backup generators and fuel tanks, constructing cyclone shelters and similar emergency infrastructure, and designing and testing their own emergency evacuation plans. Island resorts with over-water bungalows can strengthen foundations and increase floor heights every time they upgrade or refurbish their accommodation. Most protective measures such as these are taken principally for extreme events and emergencies; but as noted previously, this is how the effects of climate change will first be felt {Buckley, 2007b}.