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Climate Change and Sustainable Tourism Threats

The effects of climate change are increasing, posing a serious threat to the sustainability of the tourism sector. Tourism is one of the world's largest industries and employs approximately 1 in 10 people globally. Moreover, the gross domestic product of some countries is almost entirely dependent on tourism. Now, traveling with an environmentally friendly mindset is more important than ever. This is because tourism causes environmental pollution and can also harm the lives of plants and animals living in tourist areas. The tourism sector alone is responsible for 8 to 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions. The tourism industry is based on the attractiveness of the natural environment and biodiversity. In many parts of the world, tourists travel to see rainforests, a myriad of plants, animals, birds, insects, and many other species. According to a survey conducted by Booking.com, 61% of respondents stated that the pandemic encouraged them to travel more sustainably. Participants mentioned that they especially felt a desire to make positive changes in their lives after the pandemic, such as reducing food waste and single-use plastics. Additionally, 79% of the respondents expressed a desire to move in a more eco-friendly manner while on holiday, for example by walking, cycling, or using public transportation instead of taxis and rental cars. Since tourist activities need to become more environmentally friendly, climate-adapted, and carbon-neutral, hotels must switch to renewable energy as soon as possible and reduce the pressure they exert on coastlines. However, with proper policies and practices, the tourism sector can adapt to climate change and move toward an environmentally sustainable future. Especially in cultural tourism, planning every activity together with locals is crucial for sustainability. As individuals, we should travel as explorers while protecting and staying connected to nature. Preserving Cultural Heritage In the context of World Tourism Day on September 27, the Foundation for the Protection and Promotion of the Environment and Cultural Heritage (ÇEKÜL) made a call for sustainable tourism to all stakeholders in the sector. ÇEKÜL used the following statements: Although tourism is an important sector for economic growth, when it is done in an uncontrolled and unplanned manner, it can cause serious damage to our natural and cultural heritage. Issues such as overcrowding in historical cities, the destruction of natural areas, and the loss of cultural identity once again highlight the importance of sustainable tourism. On World Tourism Day, we invite all stakeholders to take action for sustainable tourism. Tourism is not just an economic activity; it is also a social and environmental responsibility. Tourism directly impacts the social and cultural fabric. Therefore, populist approaches should be avoided, and the rich heritage of Anatolia should be preserved through long-term sustainable planning. Breathing Life into the Corals Turkey, the only country in the world with its own inland sea, has the Marmara Sea, which serves as a vital biological corridor between the Black Sea, Aegean Sea, and Mediterranean Sea. In this context, the "Denize +1 Nefes" project was launched in 2022 in collaboration with Anadolu Efes and the Marine Life Conservation Society (DYKD) to support biodiversity development in the Marmara Sea and raise awareness. The project aims to multiply and protect the corals, known as the “rainforests of the seas,” which are at risk of extinction, and enrich biodiversity along with the underwater life in the Marmara Sea. In the first phase of "Denize +1 Nefes," divers relocated corals, which had been detached from their natural habitat and damaged, to an area off Tavşan Island in the Marmara Sea, which has been declared a strictly protected area, and created new coral gardens. In the second phase of the project, a camera system was installed 30 meters below the sea to monitor and record the development of the relocated corals and their impact 24/7. In the third phase, the focus shifted to listening to the biodiversity of the Marmara Sea. Divers placed audio recording devices underwater to capture the sounds of marine life. Inspired by these recordings, the artist Mercan Dede created the composition "Symphony of the Corals." Anadolu Efes Beer Group President and Anadolu Efes CEO Onur Altürk said, "We are working to build a responsible, conscious, and sustainable future." Contactless Food Expenditures Increased According to data from the Interbank Card Center, domestic credit card expenditures related to tourism rose by 32.7% in the January-August period of 2024, approaching $17.2 billion. In the first eight months of 2023, expenditures amounted to $12.9 billion. During this period, domestic credit and debit card expenditures on hotel accommodations increased by 29% to $6.5 billion, while airline ticket expenditures also rose by 16% to $6.5 billion. "Contactless" food expenditures made with domestic cards, both within Turkey and abroad, increased by 48% during this period, reaching approximately $12.9 billion. Online tourism service purchases made with domestic and foreign cards in Turkey increased by 25.4%, reaching $10.9 billion. From the Sector PEGASUS Airlines added two more routes to its international flights. The company launched flights from Sabiha Gökçen Airport to Seville, Spain, and from Antalya to Cairo, Egypt. DEDEMAN Hotels & Resorts International started welcoming guests at its new hotel Dedeman Güre - Nurhayat Thermal Resort & Spa, located in the Güre region, famous for its thermal springs in the Kazdağları mountains. GOOGLE and travel technology company Sabre collaborated to develop the "Travel Impact Model" to reduce the negative environmental impacts of business travel. The system allows for more accurate measurement of the carbon footprint of business travel. BARUT Hotels organized the "Cuisine Queens" event at Anda Barut Collection, with the participation of female chefs to support the role of women chefs in the tourism sector. WYNDHAM, which has approximately 120 hotels in Turkey and has opened significant new locations in coastal regions this year, inaugurated Ramada by Wyndham Dalaman.

There will be an increase in the number of hot days

Turkey is among the countries experiencing water stress due to climate change. The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry is taking various steps to protect, enhance, and use water efficiently in terms of both quantity and quality. In addition to determining necessary policies and strategies, the protection of water is also aimed at through strong legislation. Water, which ranks first in importance for people and biodiversity, is also crucial for the continuity of life. Afire Sever, General Director of Water Management at the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, stated in an interview with the İHA reporter that water management strategies are of great importance and steps are being taken in this direction. 'There will be an increase in the number of hot days' Sever, General Director of Water Management, emphasized the need for efficient use of water under changing climate conditions, noting that Turkey is dominated by a semi-arid climate, saying, 'This is a country that will be most negatively affected by these changing climate conditions. We identified these impacts with models in 2016. How will our country be affected in 2030, 2050, 2070, and 2100 under changing conditions? With the effects of climate change, there will be an increase in the number of hot days. We will experience a decrease in the number of snow-covered days. Along with this, we will face floods and droughts due to sudden and severe rainfall.' 'We need to increase our adaptation capacity' Sever stated that we are going through a period where floods and drought are occurring simultaneously, saying, 'This is another negative impact of climate change on us. We need to develop measures to address this. We cannot distance ourselves from the reality of climate change. We need to increase our capacity for adaptation and resilience. How can we do this? By using water efficiently. We are not removing water from our lives; we are simply using less water to achieve the same service or product.' 'You will reuse treated wastewater' Sever emphasized the need for proper water management, stating, 'You will reuse treated wastewater. You will transition to systems that can harvest rainwater. You will reduce the flow of water in your sinks by using pressure-reducing systems. Even with simple methods, you will use water efficiently, thereby consuming less water.' 'Transitioning to xeriscaping is an important issue' Sever noted that with the measures taken in various sectors, water savings should be maximized, stating, 'For example, in the tourism sector, you can achieve up to 50% water savings. For instance, lawns. You need to transition to xeriscaping in your green areas. It consumes less water, requires less frequent watering, and is more drought-resistant. Transitioning to xeriscaping is an important issue.' 'Watering after sunset is important' Afire Sever, General Director of Water Management, also noted that treated wastewater can be used for irrigating green areas, and added: 'It is very important to irrigate with rainwater harvesting. Another important point is to apply irrigation at night, which also applies to agricultural irrigation. Due to the effects of climate change, we are experiencing extreme heat. Therefore, if you irrigate your landscaping and green areas or agricultural fields during the day, you lose more than 40% of the water due to evaporation. Hence, watering before dawn or after sunset is crucial for us. Implementing such a practice, believe me, does not require any financial resources.' 'By determining the irrigation interval according to your product, you achieve efficient water use' Sever emphasized that watering agricultural products at night significantly reduces evaporation rates, stating, 'For example, if you have an apple orchard, four irrigations may be sufficient, but with pears, you can achieve maximum yield with three irrigations. Excessive irrigation could even cause rotting in pears. Therefore, if you know the characteristics and water needs of the crops you grow, it means you are using water efficiently. In agriculture, you can reduce water use by switching to certain irrigation models or by determining the irrigation interval according to your product with night irrigation, thus achieving efficient water use.'

Tourism activities are affected by climate change

Tourism, which constitutes a large sector with various fields such as travel, food and beverage, accommodation, entertainment activities, is also partly responsible for the increase in greenhouse gas emissions that cause global warming. According to World Travel and Tourism Council (WTCC) data, 11 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions are due to the tourism activities and this rate is expected to double by 2050. In order to stop this, it is important to make tourism activities sustainable. Gössling, who works on sustainable tourism and transportation and has many books on the subject, talked about the relationship between tourism and the climate crisis. Stating that one of the most important stakeholders of tourism is air transportation and that 4 percent of the world population travels beyond the borders of the country in a year, Gössling shared the information that the aviation industry is responsible for 10 percent of the global carbon emissions. Gössling said that they discussed the use of environmental friendly options such as batteries, biofuels, hydrogen or synthetic fuels in aircraft for sustainable aviation, and said that some of these are not realistic options in the short term due to the shortage of resources and some of them not yet developed to a level that can be used in aircraft. Gössling underlined that such changes require transformation in many areas from the design of aircraft to the infrastructure of airports, and this will lead to serious costs. "Aviation sector's effort to reduce emissions is zero" Mentioning the impact of regulations in the aviation industry on sustainability, Gössling said: "Civil aviation activities are regulated by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). The problem is that the regulations in the aviation sector were essentially included in the Kyoto Protocol signed in 1997. ICAO negotiated a solution for 20 years and in 2016 came up with the Carbon Offset and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA) plan. But this plan collapsed. Because in its simplest form, this concept focuses on balancing, not reducing emissions. You want balancing but the aviation field continues to emit. For balance to occur, your carbon pools have to grow because you're releasing more than you save." Referring to the aviation industry's goal of achieving the carbon net zero target for 2050, Gössling said, "You need different fuels for this, and we cannot get to that point with CORSIA. At this point, the aviation industry's effort to reduce emissions is zero. Although there are other initiatives on the subject, their impact is minimal." Noting that not every touristic activity has the same impact on the climate crisis, Gössling said, "Cruise tourism is a very good example in this regard. Cruises are responsible for 1.5 percent of the carbon emissions caused by tourism. Because they consume a lot of energy. Considering that the airline is used to transport these ships, cruise ships create an environmental disaster. "The annual amount of carbon emissions per tourist is around 5 tons" Sharing data on the carbon emission of tourists, Gössling said, "The annual amount of carbon emissions per tourist is around 5 tons. We know that this figure, which is caused by food-beverage, travel, accommodation and other consumptions, is very high, we need to reduce it to the current sustainable level of 3 tons." Emphasizing that jet planes and large yachts used for private purposes also cause serious carbon emissions, Gössling underlined that the world's richest people, known for their luxury holidays, cause carbon emissions of up to 30 thousand tons per person per year. Every factor in the system is important Gössling made the following suggestions on how tourism can be sustainable: “There are many steps, but I think the point where we should start is that we need to understand that every factor in the system is important. Not only airline companies, hotels, restaurants, small or large businesses, everyone has to be a part of the solution. Because at this point, everyone can blame someone else. Consumers say, 'Governments should solve this', governments say, 'This is corporate business', and companies say, 'Consumers are not asking us to be more environmentally friendly'. So nothing changes. In order to make the industry more environmentally friendly, we need policies that will push the big and small players in it. In fact, we usually blame the airlines, but hotels and restaurants, which are small and medium-sized businesses, are responsible for 50 percent of the carbon emissions in the sector. Therefore, we should not lose sight of the importance of sustainability of small units in the tourism sector." Pointing out that climate change directly affects tourism activities as tourism triggers global warming, Gössling concluded his words as follows: "The activities in the sector are directly related to the weather conditions. Snow can be given as a very simple example of this situation. We are no longer seeing snow, there are difficulties in winter tourism in the Alps. If it continues like this, you cannot have winter tourism. By the end of this century, we will have lost all coral reefs in the world. Think of the Red Sea without a coral reef. As a result, there will be no touristic activities focused on diving or snorkeling, because the source of this tourism will be destroyed."

When the waters receded in Van Lake, fairy chimneys appeared

Microbialite fields, which are described as "underwater fairy chimneys", have formed in Van Lake due to the highest water withdrawal in recent years. In Lake Van, the world's largest soda lake, water withdrawal continues due to drought due to climate change. Lake Van, which has started to show interest especially in recent years, is on the agenda with its water withdrawal rate. Microbialites, which emerged as a result of the withdrawal of water on the Tatvan coasts of Lake Van, do not escape attention. Microbialites, which resemble coral reefs and are described as "underwater fairy chimneys" in Lake Van, also play an important role in diving tourism. Microbialites, which are starting to appear in different regions with each passing day, almost resemble microbialite fields, especially in the village of İncekaya, located on the shore of Van Lake in Tatvan. Hundreds of microbialites of different sizes that emerged on the shore of Lake Van were also viewed from the air. The resulting images offered a visual beauty on the one hand, and on the other hand revealed the size of the water withdrawal level.

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Climate Change and Sustainable Tourism Threats

There will be an increase in the number of hot days

Tourism activities are affected by climate change

When the waters receded in Van Lake, fairy chimneys appeared