scholarly journals GIS-Based Material Stock Analysis (MSA) of Climate Vulnerabilities to the Tourism Industry in Antigua and Barbuda

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (19) ◽  
pp. 8090 ◽  
Author(s):  
Johnella Bradshaw ◽  
Simron Jit Singh ◽  
Su-Yin Tan ◽  
Tomer Fishman ◽  
Kristen Pott

In the past decades, the Caribbean economy has transformed to rely primarily on tourism with a vast amount of infrastructure dedicated to this sector. At the same time, the region is subject to repeated crises in the form of extreme weather events that are becoming more frequent, deadly, and costly. Damages to buildings and infrastructure (or the material stocks) from storms disrupt the local economy by an immediate decline in tourists and loss of critical services. In Antigua and Barbuda (A&B), tourism contributes 80% to the GDP and is a major driver for adding new material stocks to support the industry. This research analyzes A&B’s material stocks (MSs) in buildings (aggregates, timber, concrete, and steel) using geographic information systems (GIS) with physical parameters such as building size and footprint, material intensity, and the number of floors. In 2004, the total MSs of buildings was estimated at 4.7 million tonnes (mt), equivalent to 58.5 tonnes per capita, with the share of non-metallic minerals to be highest (2.9 mt), followed by aggregates (1.2 mt), steel (0.44 mt), and timber (0.18 mt). Under the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA’s) 2 meter (m) sea level rise scenario, an estimated 4% of the island’s total MSs would be exposed. The tourism sector would disproportionately experience the greatest exposure of 19% of its MSs. By linking stocks to services, our research contributes to the understanding of the complexities between the environmental and economic vulnerability of island systems, and the need for better infrastructure planning as part of resilience building.

2008 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 25-35
Author(s):  
Paramita Suklabaidya

Wedding Tourism — a seemingly new form of Tourism is causing a lot of excitement in the tourism industry. In some cases it is also referred to as "Marriage Tourism" or "Destination Wedding". Whatever maybe the way one addresses this phenomenon, it is for sure that we cannot ignore this new trend in the tourism sector. According to the bridal magazine, Conde Nast Bridal Group's survey, globally wedding tourism has seen a growth of 400% in the past 10 years. Globalisation and a growing interest in each other's culture is probably one of the primary reasons for this trend. The people world over are attracted to say their "I Do" in some unique way or at an exotic location. Europe based couples are known to fly overseas to destinations like Las Vegas, Hawaii, the Caribbean and Cyprus in order to marry. No wonder these destinations rank among the favourites. India as a country is one of the beneficiaries of this new trend. Both NRIs and foreigners are choosing an Indian wedding, with all its traditional rituals and interesting locales. The already booming Indian wedding industry, with a revenue of Rs.50, 000 /- crore per annum and a growth rate of 25% per year is looking for ways to tie up with leading hotels and travel agents to woo this growing tourist segment. Although, in India, it is difficult to come across the exact statistics and figures regarding this tourism sector, nevertheless we cannot ignore this segment. This paper is an attempt to understand this concept of wedding tourism. The paper also examines the possible reasons for its growing popularity and its role in creating other business avenues for the travel and hospitality and allied industries, such as wedding resorts and others. The scope of wedding tourism in India is also explored.  


Zootaxa ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 4613 (1) ◽  
pp. 135-151 ◽  
Author(s):  
FRANCISCA C. CARVALHO ◽  
ANDRZEJ PISERA

Phymaraphiniidae Schrammen 1924 (Porifera: Astrophorina) is a family of lithistid demosponges that has received little attention in the past decades. The systematic problems within this family have not been addressed for a long time due to the absence of new records and material. The genus Exsuperantia Özdikmen 2009 was first described by Schmidt (1879) as Rimella to allocate the species Rimella clava, found in the Caribbean. In 1892, Topsent found what he thought to be the same species described by Schmidt in the Azores, and synonymized it with Racodiscula clava, as he thought this species belonged to the family Theonellidae Lendenfeld 1903. However, Rimella and Racodiscula belong to distinct families: Rimella to Phymaraphiniidae, and Racodiscula to Theonellidae. Due to the fact that the genus Rimella was already preoccupied by a gastropod, it was renamed as Exsuperantia. In result of the poor preservation of Schmidt’s material and the absence of new specimens, the attribution of Topsent’s specimens to the family level remained obscure. Here, we review the genus Exsuperantia based on the analysis of new material recently collected during various research expeditions in the northeast Atlantic Ocean. The comparison of these new specimens with Schmidt’s and Topsent’s type material, allowed us to assign Topsent’s specimens to a new species, Exsuperantia archipelagus sp. nov., and confirm its attribution to the family Phymaraphiniidae (not Theonellidae). Phylogenetic reconstructions using newly generated sequences of the cytochrome subunit (COI) marker also support the assignment of the new species to the family Phymaraphiniidae (not Theonellidae). 


Author(s):  
Jago Cooper ◽  
Lindsay Duncan

This chapter considers the role of archaeology in creating solutions for coping with the impacts of global environmental change, illustrated by cases from Latin America. Past examples of the practical application of pre-Columbian innovations and techniques are considered, and the key themes of social practice and community engagement discussed. These principles are then applied to the islands of the Caribbean where archaeology can play an important role in accessing and illuminating pre-Columbian lifeways in the region. The comparative resilience of past and present lifeways to the hazards created by extreme weather events, precipitation variability, and sea level changes are discussed, and the role of archaeology as a means of engaging the public, stimulating discussion, and informing debate is considered.


2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 44-59 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth A. Mackay ◽  
Andrew Spencer

Purpose This conceptual paper examines the Caribbean tourism sector, its growth, performance, importance and its vulnerability to climate change. The purpose of this paper is to serve as an introduction to the on-going conversation around climate change and the socioeconomic impacts likely to be experienced in tourism-dependent Caribbean territories. Design/methodology/approach The Caribbean is used as the context of this work. A broad perspective was adopted to paint a picture of the wider implications. The region is represented by a multiplicity of country profiles, both in physical and socio-economic characteristics; this warrants a broad assessment of the issues examined here. Findings This work shows that the Caribbean tourism sectors face significant future threats related to both competitiveness and climate change impacts. For a region so heavily dependent on coastal- and marine-related tourism attractions, adaptation and resilience are critical issues facing Caribbean tourism. An effective approach to building resilience to climate change requires extensive regional cooperation. Research limitations/implications While there is much published on the matter of climate change implications in the general global context, there is considerably less published work specifically examining the likely effects climate change will have on the special socio-economic features of the Caribbean and on the tourism industry in particular. Practical implications The lack of extensive and ongoing research dedicated to climate change implications for Caribbean tourism, while limiting the scope of this work, does highlight a gap and open the door for future work that examines, in greater detail both collectively and on an individual country basis, the climate change implications for tourism industries throughout the region. Social implications Climate change vulnerabilities in the region present a significant threat to economic development, employment and food security among others. Coastal flooding, infrastructural damage and the potential displacement of coastal communities present significant impediments to the quality of life of Caribbean nationals. The social implications necessitate further in-depth study to inform the development of adaptation strategies that may secure the tourism industry and the livelihoods and lifestyles of the people. Originality/value This work is original in its evaluation of the viewpoints of climate change vulnerability specific to the Caribbean tourism sector.


Basic characteristics of contemporary tourism development of Bosnia and Herzegovina and its administrative-political organization units are essentially linked to still insufficient infrastructure and legislative-institutional tourism organization. Regardless of the fact that in most development strategies of all administrative and political-organizational units in Bosnia and Herzegovina tourism is recognized as one of the basic strategies, the development level of tourism industry towards all indicators is significantly lagging behind at the level of the entire European tourism market. According to data from the Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report of the World Economic Forum (WEF), Bosnia and Herzegovina is only 113 out of total of 136 countries, according to tourism traffic, out of a record number of 1,235 billion. Of international tourists’ arrivals, which were taken worldwide in 2016, Bosnia and Herzegovina has averaged less than 0.1%. The total number of tourist arrivals was around 1.149 million in 2016, of which international arrivals accounted for about 62.6%, while the remaining 37.4% were domestic arrivals. The total number of nights spent in Bosnia and Herzegovina during the year 2016 was 2,377 million. In relation to the above mentioned indicators, positive trends in the number of tourists have increased in the past 10 years with an average annual rate of about 2.5%. These data indicate that Bosnia and Herzegovina, with the improvement of institutional and infrastructure capacities, should significantly improve the overall tourism traffic and achieve a significantly better position within the regional European market in the next ten year period.


2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Serhan Cevik ◽  
Manuk Ghazanchyan

Abstract While the world’s attention is on dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change remains a greater existential threat to vulnerable countries that are highly dependent on a weather-sensitive sector like tourism. Using a multidimensional index, this study investigates the long-term impact of climate change vulnerability on international tourism in a panel of 15 Caribbean countries over the period 1995–2017. Empirical results show that climate vulnerability already has a statistically and economically significant negative effect on international tourism revenues across the region. As extreme weather events are becoming more frequent and severe over time, our findings indicate that the Caribbean countries need to invest more in adaptation and mitigation in order to reduce vulnerabilities.


2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (243) ◽  
Author(s):  
Serhan Cevik ◽  
Manuk Ghazanchyan

While the world’s attention is on dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change remains a greater existential threat to vulnerable countries that are highly dependent on a weather-sensitive sector like tourism. Using a novel multidimensional index, this study investigates the long-term impact of climate change vulnerability on international tourism in a panel of 15 Caribbean countries over the period 1995–2017. Empirical results show that climate vulnerability already has a statistically and economically significant negative effect on international tourism revenues across the region. As extreme weather events are becoming more frequent and severe over time, our findings indicate that the Caribbean countries need to pursue comprehensive adaptation policies to reduce vulnerabilities to climate change.


2019 ◽  
Vol 75 (1) ◽  
pp. 109-112
Author(s):  
Bruce Prideaux

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to briefly review the development of drive tourism in the past 75 years, highlight contemporary issues that will shape the structure of drive tourism in the near future and speculate on how drive tourism may develop in future decades. Design/methodology/approach The paper draws on a range of academic and grey literature to identify the major trends that are now emerging in the drive tourism sector. These trends form the basis for observations on how new and emerging technologies such as autonomous vehicles may offer new drive tourism opportunities in coming decades. Findings Recent and near-future advances in automobile technologies, including propulsion and control, are likely to radically alter the structure and operation of drive tourism, offering new opportunities for participation in this form of tourism. The paper observes that the tourism industry must act in a proactive rather than reactive manner if it is to maximise the opportunities that will emerge “from” the coming period of climate change and technology-generated disruption. Social implications Drive tourism has opened many previously remote areas for tourism bringing benefits such as employment and business opportunities. However, the growth of drive tourism may also have social costs including disruption to local social norms as people migrate into and out of these areas in search of new economic opportunities. Future developments in drive tourism may create similar disruptions. Originality/value Despite the size and value of the global drive tourism market, academic investigation has been limited. The value of this paper lies in its identification of a range of issues that need further research, including the need to rethink the structure of drive tourism and how new technologies and future responses to climate change may affect this sector.


2017 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 71-81
Author(s):  
Екатерина Рожина ◽  
Ekaterina Rozhina ◽  
Ирина СЕЛИВАНОВА ◽  
Irina SELIVANOVA

This article considers the problems of tourism industry in one of the recreation areas of Russia – the great lake Baikal. The authors define the general trends of the region, analyze the difficulties and problems, and suggest possible solutions. The article presents the dynamics of the increasing inbound tourism, lists the investment programs and collects data, allowing to comprehending the tourism sector development of Baikal region. The article is mainly focused on the attraction of Russian investors to develop Baikal tourism industry, upgrade its infrastructure, and staff training. It is emphasized that a close partnership should be set up between businesses and higher schools in the region whereas the companies become not only the platforms for internship but customers who need educational services. The authors highlight rather low attention of European tourists to the region and stress the necessity for making cooperation contracts with foreign higher schools interested in ecotourism that is very popular in Europe. In conclusion the authors suggest concentrating on the development of territorial branding as one of the ways of the tourism sector and local economy growth, and recommend borrowing good experience of other regions for forming branding competencies of both local communities and students – perspective managers of tourism industry.


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