Abstract:

In the context of global climate warming, the sustainability of glacier tourism is faced with major challenges. This is particularly evident in economically disadvantaged high-altitude regions, where tourism destinations are deeply embedded in local economic development structures. Strong economic dependence on tourism and inherent ecological vulnerability of these regions are mutually reinforcing, which exacerbates the impacts of climate change. Previous studies have mainly focused on descriptive narratives of the influence of glacier retreat on tourism resources and overlook the impacts of climate change as they evolve into risks in the context of glacier tourism systems. By reviewing and synthesizing the scientific literature on the impacts and risks of climate change associated with glacier tourism, this study aims to elucidate major research trajectories and knowledge evolution in glacier tourism studies and provide insights for future research. The results demonstrate that: (1) The existing studies primarily underscore the impacts of climate change on tourism destinations and conduct limited exploration of the interactions among climate change, tourist source regions, and tourism activities. (2) Moreover, climate change not only threatens the safety of tourism activities and alters patterns in tourist behavior but also leads to irreversible impacts on the natural environment, local economies, and social systems that depend on glacier tourism. Particularly in high-altitude regions, damage to infrastructure and loss of tourists exacerbate the vulnerability of local systems. (3) Therefore, this study proposes an impact-risk analytical pathway that firstly identifies the mechanisms through which climate change alters tourism conditions, then it examines the formation and evolution of risks, thereby achieving a logical progression from impact identification to risk assessment. (4) For future studies, it recommends the adoption of a tourist source-destination system perspective that integrates the roles of tourists, destination managers, and local communities, thereby enabling systematic comparisons of the differentiated vulnerabilities and adaptive capacities of these components. Moreover, interdisciplinary approaches that integrate geography, tourism studies, and climate science are required to further reveal the complex impacts of climate change on the supply and demand sides of tourism, as well as the interaction between both sides.

Key words: glacier tourism, climate change, tourism system, impact, risk