Abstract

As a climate sensitive sector, tourism is highly vulnerable to climate change impacts. Indeed, the tourism sector has already been experiencing impacts rising from climate change such as warming temperatures, sea level rise, coral bleaching, and increase in frequency and intensity of tropical cyclones, etc. While China is a major source market for many destinations all over the world, it is rising in the ranking of the world’s top tourism destinations by achieving the fourth position in terms of international tourist arrivals in 2004. It has been projected by the World Travel and Tourism Council that China is to become the second largest travel and tourism economy in the world over the next ten years. On the other hand, China is one of “climate-tourism hotspots” where climate change can have a major adverse effect on tourism. The projected impacts of climate change in China include more common heatwaves, change of precipitation and water availability, increase in frequency of tropical storms, sea level rise and coastal erosion. Although how these climate change projections would affect China’s tourism has yet to be assessed, it will inevitably need to adapt to future impacts of climate change. Aware of this situation, Chinese government has been making efforts to develop policies to address adaptation issues. This paper aims to review China’s recent policy development in tourism adaptation to climate change. Based on the understanding of the current policies, it concludes with recommendations for future policy development.