INTHEBLACK May 2025 - Magazine - Page 45
More extreme weather
events pose an increasing
threat to human-made
and natural tourism assets.
Words
Cameron Cooper
Some nations lack the
resources and finances
to mitigate or respond
to climate risks.
A SPATE OF VENOMOUS IRUKANDJI
jellyfish stings off one of Australia’s most
beloved islands is a disturbing reminder
of the threat climate change poses to
the tourism industry.
Sting numbers from the tiny, but
potentially deadly, jellyfish are increasing
on K’gari (formerly known as Fraser Island),
a World Heritage-listed sand island
in Queensland that attracts both domestic
and international tourists. The fear is that
warmer ocean waters are causing more
and more Irukandji to migrate from the
tropical waters of Far North Queensland,
possibly threatening tourism on the state’s
south-eastern coast.
Dr Adam Triggs, a sustainability expert
at economic consultancy Mandala Partners,
Better management and
coordination of the tourism
industry’s response to
climate risk is required.
says the K’gari scenario is just one example
of how climate change could jeopardise
Asia-Pacific tourism. “One of the really
big risks to tourism is the reputational effects
that can manifest from news reports,”
he says. “Even if there are infrequent reports
of jellyfish and shark attacks and things
like that, it can be enough to reduce
tourism in an area.”
Triggs is one of the researchers on
a new report, The Zurich-Mandala Climate
Risk Index, which assesses the impact of
climate change on the Australian tourism
industry. It reveals that half of Australia’s
top 178 tourism assets are in an elevated risk
category, as they face considerable climate
change and natural-peril risks. The modelling
also suggests that revenue losses from
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