Spatio-temporal changes in tourism climate index on the Tibetan Plateau over the last 42 years

The Tibetan Plateau (TP) is highly affected by global climate change, and thus, assessing climate conditions from a tourism perspective is significant for the sustainable development of tourism. In this study, a reanalysis dataset from ERA-5 was employed to assess the climate comfort level for tourism and analyse its spatio-temporal patterns from the year 1979 to 2020. A tourism climate index (TCI) comprising three component indices was calculated using climatic variables, and increasing trends in both annual and monthly TCI were found. Spatially, higher TCI values and more significant increasing trends were found in the eastern, southern and peripheral regions of the TP, as well as in the Qaidam Basin with lower altitude. Increasing TCI values indicate more comfortable tourism conditions and may bring in more opportunities for tourism development. All these results provide valuable guidance for local constructions and development for tourism in TP corresponding to the climate change.

Automated summary

In this study, the climate comfort level for tourism on the Tibetan Plateau was assessed using ERA-5 reanalysis data from 1979 to 2020. The tourism climate index (TCI) was calculated and showed increasing trends in both annual and monthly TCI. Spatially, higher TCI values and more significant increasing trends were found in the eastern, southern, and peripheral regions of the Tibetan Plateau, as well as in the Qaidam Basin with lower altitude. These findings provide valuable guidance for tourism development in response to climate change.