Assessment of Climate Vulnerability Indices for Coastal Tourism Destinations

Abstract

Coastal ecosystems are crucial for territorial development but they face increasing pressure from population growth and climate change. These factors threaten ecosystems, communities, and tourism infrastructure. It is essential to assess vulnerability to achieve adaptation and indices are widely used for this purpose due to their simplicity. However, inconsistencies persist in definitions, methodologies, dimensions, and variable selection. This systematic review of 43 second-generation studies analyzes the evolution of conceptual approaches, identifies the most common indicators, and examines index methodologies. The results reveal that, although the IPCC has updated its definition of vulnerability, many publications still use previous conceptual frameworks. While temperature is relevant to tourism, most studies focus on increasing sea level and its effects. In some cases, social and economic dimensions are treated jointly whereas in other studies they are considered separately. Variable selection remains case-specific and a robust, standardized framework is still lacking, especially for social aspects. Despite the undoubted importance of tourism, specific research on this sector is scarce. This review underscores the need for standardized indices tailored to coastal tourism management under climate change. Future research directions are also proposed.