The Ski Resorts of Today Will Be the Summer Holiday Destinations in 20 Years

The impacts of global warming which has effected Turkey, just like the rest of the world, will continue even more so in the coming years. Prof. Dr. Levent Kurnaz, Chairman of the Boğaziçi University Climate Change and Policy Studies, has made bold statements on the changes that global warming will bring in short and mid term. Kurnaz says that the tourism professionals should keep in mind the summer tourism of the future while building winter resorts.

Global warming is seriously impacting Turkey, as it does the rest of the world. It has been stated that the serious consequences of climate change will be felt even more after 2050. Chairman of the Boğaziçi University Climate Change and Policy Studies Prof. Dr. Levent Kurnaz warns that as time goes by tourism and climate is being more intertwined and that if we do not change our view on tourism we will be faced with even bigger problems in the future.

 

Prof. Dr. Levent Kurnaz says that by the year 2050 the air temperature will reach 45 celcius degrees and the sea level will rise enough to surpass the level of Kadıköy metro entry. Kurnaz also says that by 2070 it will become almost impossible to see snow at the eastern parts of Erzincan and that from 2100 the southern parts of Turkey will become a desert.

 

‘’When building resorts for winter tourism today, think about the summers of tomorrow’’

 

Prof. Dr. Levent Kurnaz explains that while the tourism professionals are using the knowledge and experience from the past when building ski resorts, they should instead be paying more attention to what will happen in the future. Calling attention to how temperatures have been rising a minimum of 6 degrees because of global warming, Kurnaz says that in order for the resorts to be sustainable, investors should consider the possibility of resorts to be able to be used in both seasons.

 

‘’After the year 2070, there will be no possibility of seeing snow on the eastern side of Erzincan. The southern parts of our country, which is 38-40 degrees in the summer, will be as hot as 45-50 degrees in the coming years. This will have a negative effect on many things, much less the tourism. That is why people who invest in ski and snow tourism should consider that in 20 years that same location will be a summer resort. In the old days people used to go to highlands to cool off in the summer. From this example, we can plan that the ski resorts of today can be the summer destinations in the future where people can spend their holiday in the mountains and hike. If a resort is designed only as a hotel and a ski track, their life span cannot extend beyond 20-30 years.