Ski Destinations’ Responses to Future Climate Change from a Social-Ecological Resilience Perspective: A Case Study of the Niseko Area in Hokkaido

Abstract

This article investigates the responses to potential future changes in climate from a holistic view of the destination and a social-ecological resilience perspective with the help of a case study in Niseko town and Kutchan town in Hokkaido. The results of thematic content analysis for the collected data show that the high dependency of the destination on natural resources for its attraction might increase the destination’s vulnerability to climate change, which might be offset by all-year-round tourism. The actions taken by residents, local governments, and enterprises to respond to climate change at the current stage remain mitigation actions. In the future, the local governments are thought to take more responsibility to promote the actions against climate change and do information-sharing while strengthening awareness about climate change through education is also expected for the residents and tourists.