Climate Change Adaptation Types in Alpine Winter Tourism Destinations:: Differentiating Incremental, Transformational, Autonomous and Planned Adaptations in Balderschwang, Germany

In the context of climate change adaptation, alpine winter tourism destinations are confronted with multiple, sometimes conflicting, types of adaptation measures, aiming first and foremost at reducing vulnerability to climate change. Measures’ scopes range from incremental adjustments to transformational turnarounds of existing pathways. Different actors can initiate and manage adaptation, including individual self-organised responses, private sector measures, community-led initiatives, and government-imposed measures. In this study, we apply two conceptual frameworks from climate change adaptation research to the case of Balderschwang, an alpine winter destination in Bavaria, Germany. The aim is to examine both its recent adaptation development and the adaptation visions of the residents. In addition to an in-depth assessment of the case study area, we base our analysis on qualitative interviews conducted with 12 residents, being both community members and tourism stakeholders. Our results show that different adaptation types, both in terms of the depth of intervention as well as the actors introducing and managing the adaptation, may coexist, potentially enabling, constraining, or even evolve into each other. Awareness of these adaptation types can help untangle adaptation barriers and identify potential linkages that could help align adaptation efforts across the different actors, thereby increasing the likelihood of successful climate change adaptation. We conclude that the collaborative approach, a mix of autonomous and planned adaptations, offers a promising way to streamline local adaptation needs with governmental support, increasing the possibility of successful adaptation.