THE EFFECT OF CLIMATE CHANGES ON THE TOURISM OF SIBIU MOUNTAIN AREA

Abstract

The analysis of climate changes from the point of view of the effect on the tourist movement is an illustration of the environment-organism report.Based on the stress and on the capacity to react, an implicit conformation of the tourist to the environment factors takes place. Climate change and its possible consequences for winter holiday destinations constitute a new and complex challenge for tourism research. The actual effects of climate change influence entrepreneurial decisions and the development of a region. This paper tries to investigate how sensitive are the Sibiu mountain area to climate change. The researches are quite difficult because of the reduced number and unevenness of weather stations in the Carpathians, and because the activity of the mountain weather stations is relatively recent (usually 40-50 years). The South-Eastern Carpathians are sensitive to climate change. The years 1994, 2000, 2002, and 2003 were the warmest on record in the South-Eastern Carpathians in the last 50 years. Climate model projections show even greater changes in the coming decades, with less snow at low altitudes. Together with the relief, the climate is the determining factor that contributed to the development of mountain resorts, that initially focused on curing and relaxation, and later on relaxation and sport. The study of the meteorological parameters registered in Sibiu mountain area is a proof of the privileged habitat that the resort has, both from the point of view of the landscape, and from that of the climatic conditions.Climate Changes, Tourist Movement, Territory Vulnerability, Winter Tourism Activity