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Microclimatic Volatility and Elasticity of Glacier Skiing Demand

Author

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  • Marius Mayer

    (Institute of Geography and Geology, University of Greifswald, 17489 Greifswald, Germany)

  • O. Cenk Demiroglu

    (Department of Geography and Economic History, Umeå University, 901 87 Umeå, Sweden)

  • Oguzhan Ozcelebi

    (Department of Economics, Istanbul University, 34452 Istanbul, Turkey)

Abstract

The effects of climate conditions and weather on ski tourism have become a hot topic as the negative impacts of climate change on ski tourism become increasingly visible. This study aims at measuring the significance and magnitude of long-term diurnal and daily weather conditions on lift frequentation at an Austrian glacier ski area in terms of the winter and the summer skiing offers. In doing so, it utilizes an autoregressive conditional heteroskedasticity (ARCH) model to reveal and quantify any volatility associated with ski area visitation and then employs regression models to account for any microclimatic elasticity of glacier skiing demand. The main findings reveal a significant volatility in ski area visitation, especially during the summer seasons. While this study does not aim for an ultimate determination on the reasons for such volatility, skiing demand models illustrate the importance of thermal comfort, especially wind chill factor (WCF), as a major determinant of demand sensitivity for glacier skiing as well as non-skier visits during the summer season. Significant, albeit inelastic, relationships between other microclimatic characteristics, such as snow depth and relative humidity, with visitation and lift frequentation are also identified. Based on these findings, implications according to a changing climate and practical suggestions on the sustainability of winter and summer skiing activities are provided.

Suggested Citation

  • Marius Mayer & O. Cenk Demiroglu & Oguzhan Ozcelebi, 2018. "Microclimatic Volatility and Elasticity of Glacier Skiing Demand," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(10), pages 1-14, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:10:y:2018:i:10:p:3536-:d:173236
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Jeffrey Englin & Klaus Moeltner, 2004. "The Value of Snowfall to Skiers and Boarders," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 29(1), pages 123-136, September.
    2. Camille Gonseth, 2013. "Impact of snow variability on the Swiss winter tourism sector: implications in an era of climate change," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 119(2), pages 307-320, July.
    3. Falk, Martin & Hagsten, Eva, 2016. "Importance of early snowfall for Swedish ski resorts: Evidence based on monthly data," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 53(C), pages 61-73.
    4. Martin Falk, 2015. "The Demand for Winter Sports: Empirical Evidence for the Largest French Ski-Lift Operator," Tourism Economics, , vol. 21(3), pages 561-580, June.
    5. Robert Engle, 2001. "GARCH 101: The Use of ARCH/GARCH Models in Applied Econometrics," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 15(4), pages 157-168, Fall.
    6. Falk, Martin & Lin, Xiang, 2018. "Sensitivity of winter tourism to temperature increases over the last decades," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 71(C), pages 174-183.
    7. Iveta Malasevska & Erik Haugom & Gudbrand Lien, 2017. "Modelling and forecasting alpine skier visits," Tourism Economics, , vol. 23(3), pages 669-679, May.
    8. Falk, Martin, 2013. "A survival analysis of ski lift companies," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 36(C), pages 377-390.
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    10. Mayer, Marius & Steiger, Robert, 2013. "Skitourismus in den Bayerischen Alpen: Entwicklung und Zukunftsperspektiven," Arbeitsberichte der ARL: Aufsätze, in: Job, Hubert & Mayer, Marius (ed.), Tourismus und Regionalentwicklung in Bayern, volume 9, pages 164-212, ARL – Akademie für Raumentwicklung in der Leibniz-Gemeinschaft.
    11. Martin Falk & Xiang Lin, 2018. "The declining dependence of ski lift operators on natural snow conditions," Tourism Economics, , vol. 24(6), pages 662-676, September.
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    Cited by:

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    2. Fan Tang & Jianping Yang & Yanxia Wang & Qiuling Ge, 2022. "Analysis of the Image of Global Glacier Tourism Destinations from the Perspective of Tourists," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(10), pages 1-21, October.

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