Spatiotemporal variability of the Universal Thermal Climate Index during heat waves using the UrbClim climate model: Implications for tourism destinations

Abstract

There is a close relationship between tourism and climate, the latter being one of the most important factors influencing the choice of destination. Today, rising temperatures and extreme weather events pose significant risks to the tourism sector by affecting the safety and well-being of visitors. Urban tourism is particularly vulnerable due to the additive effect of the urban heat islands which exacerbate heat-related risk in cities. This research aims to examine the spatiotemporal variation of thermal conditions at Seville, a popular tourist destination in Spain, where the tourism sector represents 25 % of the gross domestic product. To this end, the Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI) and Landsat 8 images have been used, corresponding to August 2017, when the city experienced two heat waves and decreased number of visitors. Our results showed high variability of the UTCI between 28 and 39 degrees C corresponding to strong thermal stress that increased in the afternoon hours. During heat waves, this variability intensified by 9.77 %, reaching values between 32 and 42 degrees C corresponding to very strong thermal stress. Our findings show that adverse thermal conditions negatively affect tourist arrivals, which could lead to significant economic repercussions. Also, our results point to the urgent need for mitigation and resilience measures including the use of Blue Infrastructure (BI), new green areas, naturalizing streets, and use of green facades and roofs. These results will allow the development of adaptation and urban planning policies together with the development of resilience measures that improve the environmental comfort conditions of the historic center and therefore the visitors' experience.