Weather and climate challenges facing urban Mountain National Park destinations

Mountain tourism destinations are important for socio-economic development, ecosystem services and recreational opportunities. However, these destinations are highly vulnerable to weather and climate variations. This study examines the impact of climate variability and changes in tourism in urban mo...

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Main Authors: Kaitano Dube, Godwell Nhamo
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Taylor & Francis Group 2025-12-01
Series:Cogent Social Sciences
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/23311886.2025.2548861
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author Kaitano Dube
Godwell Nhamo
author_facet Kaitano Dube
Godwell Nhamo
author_sort Kaitano Dube
collection DOAJ
description Mountain tourism destinations are important for socio-economic development, ecosystem services and recreational opportunities. However, these destinations are highly vulnerable to weather and climate variations. This study examines the impact of climate variability and changes in tourism in urban mountain destinations, with a specific focus on the Table Mountain National Park. This study employed a mixed-methods approach, utilising primary data from interviews and archival data obtained through remote sensing. Qualitative data analysis using ATLAS.ti and indices such as the heat stress index and Standard Precipitation Index using Mann Kendal Trend Trest, Microsoft Excel ToolPak, and other statistical methods revealed that Table Mountain National Park faces substantial threats from climate change-related extreme weather events. These threats, including droughts, extreme rainfall, strong winds, and wildfires, have increased in frequency and intensity, negatively impacting the tourism sector. These disruptions result in considerable financial losses, damage to infrastructure, and reduced revenue, posing significant risks to tourists’ health, safety, and security. This study recommends enhanced management practices, increased investment in insurance, and reliable and early warning systems to manage climate disasters. Furthermore, greater investment in disaster response equipment and assets is required to address escalating climate threats.
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spelling doaj-art-8fa9052852dc4cd8bda4c5930cab687b2025-08-23T16:14:35ZengTaylor & Francis GroupCogent Social Sciences2331-18862025-12-0111110.1080/23311886.2025.2548861Weather and climate challenges facing urban Mountain National Park destinationsKaitano Dube0Godwell Nhamo1Ecotourism Management, Vaal University of Technology, Vanderbijlpark, South AfricaInstitute of Corporate Citizenship, University of South Africa, Pretoria, South AfricaMountain tourism destinations are important for socio-economic development, ecosystem services and recreational opportunities. However, these destinations are highly vulnerable to weather and climate variations. This study examines the impact of climate variability and changes in tourism in urban mountain destinations, with a specific focus on the Table Mountain National Park. This study employed a mixed-methods approach, utilising primary data from interviews and archival data obtained through remote sensing. Qualitative data analysis using ATLAS.ti and indices such as the heat stress index and Standard Precipitation Index using Mann Kendal Trend Trest, Microsoft Excel ToolPak, and other statistical methods revealed that Table Mountain National Park faces substantial threats from climate change-related extreme weather events. These threats, including droughts, extreme rainfall, strong winds, and wildfires, have increased in frequency and intensity, negatively impacting the tourism sector. These disruptions result in considerable financial losses, damage to infrastructure, and reduced revenue, posing significant risks to tourists’ health, safety, and security. This study recommends enhanced management practices, increased investment in insurance, and reliable and early warning systems to manage climate disasters. Furthermore, greater investment in disaster response equipment and assets is required to address escalating climate threats.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/23311886.2025.2548861Mountain tourismextreme weather eventsloss and damageSPIurban tourismclimate change
spellingShingle Kaitano Dube
Godwell Nhamo
Weather and climate challenges facing urban Mountain National Park destinations
Cogent Social Sciences
Mountain tourism
extreme weather events
loss and damage
SPI
urban tourism
climate change
title Weather and climate challenges facing urban Mountain National Park destinations
title_full Weather and climate challenges facing urban Mountain National Park destinations
title_fullStr Weather and climate challenges facing urban Mountain National Park destinations
title_full_unstemmed Weather and climate challenges facing urban Mountain National Park destinations
title_short Weather and climate challenges facing urban Mountain National Park destinations
title_sort weather and climate challenges facing urban mountain national park destinations
topic Mountain tourism
extreme weather events
loss and damage
SPI
urban tourism
climate change
url https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/23311886.2025.2548861
work_keys_str_mv AT kaitanodube weatherandclimatechallengesfacingurbanmountainnationalparkdestinations
AT godwellnhamo weatherandclimatechallengesfacingurbanmountainnationalparkdestinations