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Biophysical Factors


Biophysical factors affect tourism in two main ways. Firstly where will a tourist be encouraged to visit, and secondly how changes in the biophysical environment might impact on the way tourism operates. The syllabus divides up biophysical factors and ecological factors separately. Biophysical factors generally refer to the non-living environment (lithosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere), while ecological factors generally refers to the living components of the environments (biosphere - special environments, animals, plants, etc).

The Biophysical factors which affect the operation of tourism at a global scale are:

Climate/weather
- influences tourist behaviour patterns, e.g. important tourist destinations such as France, Italy and Spain are all influences by a Mediterranean climate (warm to hot summers and cool winters with moderate rainfall). 
- influences destination and length of stay
- determines the type of environment, e.g. deserts (Palm Springs, Las Vegas, Morocco)
- Some climatic conditions can deter tourists, e.g. monsoon conditions in South East Asia
- climate change - impact on snow season (reduce snow fall), impact on snorkelling, scuba (coral bleaching), inundation of some Pacific islands.

Soils
- soils and climate are closely related. 
- Soils determine the type of vegetation that will grow and type of environment that forms
- can impact on how aesthetically appealing a location is e.g. white sand beachs v.s black sand beaches

Topography
- can impact on accessibility - how easy it is to get to a tourist location.
- Mountains - alpine/winter sports - Thredbo, Aspen, Trekking in Nepal.
- Topography can also relate to how easy it is to access certain locations.
- can impact on how it can operate e.g. have to build extra infrastructure (ski lifts) or extra reinforcement/regulations when building (e.g. in case of landslide)
- can limit tourist activity and infrastructure, e.g. towards the top of MT Everest there is limited support for tourists.

Site/ Natural features
- Unique landscapes, e.g. Grand Canyon
- Aesthetically appealing landscapes - islands, reefs, glaciers, national parks, waterfalls - e.g. Yosemite National
Park, Alaska, Great Barrier Reef, Victoria Falls.
- unspoilt, uninhabited, untouched - e.g Tahiti
- recognition of the significance of the site by national and international organisations increases tourism numbers. e.g. UNESCO World Heritage Sites, protection of endangered species or ecosystems. This can result in increased advertising, more scrutiny over protection measures.

- tourists attracted to the biggest. highest, longest features e.g. Amazon River.
- unusual locations - e.g on the outskirts of Chernobyl


Holiday in the death zone: How nuclear disaster-hit Chernobyl now has TEN THOUSAND tourists a year

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/travel_news/article-3047031/Chernobyl-thriving-holiday-destination-following-rise-dark-tourism-phenomenon.html#ixzz4A87nofbJ 
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

Bali's Mount Agung - Jetstar flights resume after volcano's second eruption
How or where does tourism operate?
Arguably the biggest biophysical factor to impact on the operation of tourism in the future will be the impact of climate change. Some particular tourism sectors will be adversely affected by climate change. The skiing industry and the associated tourism will be impacted by the reduction in snow falls. Tourism to particularly sensitive environments, e.g. the Great Barrier Reef will be affected by changes of destruction of these ecosystems or environments. 

Alternatively climate changes and melting ice shelves may actually open up vast areas that have previously been inaccessible to tourist operators. 

Climate change could harm Hawaii’s wildlife & tourism industry
Melting moments
Impacts of climate change on tourism in Europe
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Global Warming will let Arctic tourism push the boat out
Snowfields a generation away from climate meltdown, report warns
Environment is our economy: Tourism wakes up to reef in peril
biophysical_factors_-_climatic_regions.doc
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Impacts of climate change on tourism

Climate change and tourism infographic



Glacial retreat
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  • Home
    • Tourism research lesson
    • Essay activity
    • Practice questions
    • Assessment
  • Tourism - Global economic activity
    • Nature
    • Spatial Patterns
    • Future Directions >
      • Research Task - Future Directions
    • Factors Affecting Tourism >
      • Biophysical
      • Ecological
      • Economic
      • Socio-cultural
      • Organisational
      • Technological
      • Political
    • Impacts of Tourism >
      • Social Impacts
      • Economic Impacts
      • Environmental Impacts
      • Ecotourism
      • Impacts - Venice
  • Local Case Study - Great White Bear Tours
    • Nature of economic enterprise
    • Locational factors
    • Ecological dimensions
    • Linkages
    • Effects of global changes
    • Maps and photographs
    • Vocations
    • Fieldwork: Hudson Bay
  • HSIETeachers Home