Coastal Adaptation and Vulnerability Assessment (CAVA) on the Tourism Industry for Sea-Level Rise in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia

Abstract

Climate change and associated Sea-Level Rise (SLR) are impeding threats to the future of small coastal tourism communities. Although the perception of vulnerability to climate change within the tourism industry is becoming better understood, community resilience and adaptability remain inconsistencies in the scientific literature (Dube et al., 2021; Rangel-Buitrago et al., 2020). To assess the resilience of Lunenburg, this research identifies perceived risks and the level of preparedness of the tourism industry via a mixed methods approach. Integrating key informant interviews (26), business (36) and organization (18) surveys the understanding of potential impacts and existing mitigation strategies are assessed. Therefore, studying the perceived risks of climate change on the community of Lunenburg and their capacity to adapt is essential for decision-making processes within small coastal communities of similar geographic and economic breakdowns. Results highlight that key informant interviews prioritize mitigation strategies for pandemic-related public health restrictions (15.1%), operational capacity (12.9%), and increasing cost of operations (9.7%) represented by the relative frequency of mentioned themes. Most notably, the operational capacity to host a growing tourist population was an immediate concern for the accommodation and restaurant sector (12.9%). As such, this study addresses an important gap in scientific knowledge regarding how perceptions of climate change influence perceived risk and adaptation within tourism-dependent sectors in small coastal communities. More specifically, exploring the local tourism stakeholders’ knowledge of the expected effects of SLR and identifying perceived barriers to adaptation will aid in developing future SLR mitigation strategies.

Keywords: Risk perceptions, sea-level rise, climate change, tourism stakeholders, mitigation strategies