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| Research goals |
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Within a framework of integrative sustainability, specific indicators are needed that enable ski areas to describe, define and develop their own identity in terms of sustainability performance as a unique selling proposition (USP). For a destination that enjoys a competitive advantage in a specific segment, its product differences must be clearly visible and communicated in one or more attributes that are key buying criteria.
To define these services and strategies a framework is needed that can help to continuously monitor global changes and customer demand, and flexibly seize services to meet customer satisfaction, the needs of local residents, and environmental goals. A strategic framework should both serve as a management tool for ski areas and as a decision support tool for tourists.
The complexity of the various relations and influences makes a theoretical model necessary that helps to define, to measure and improve ski areas’ sustainability per-formance (i) in comparison to a best-in-class standard and (ii) in responding to customer demand, possibly even shaping it. This model can then be taken to further define a strategic framework.
Summarising the needs for further insight into the human-environment system of ski tourism and global change there are a number of research goals the study SkiSustain seeks to address:
Get an overview on the interrelated human-environment system of ski tourism and global change from a holistic perspective going beyond the current focus on climate change.
Extend the focus on climate change impacts on the natural environment to a holistic understanding for the relations and feedback loops in the coupled human-environment system of ski tourism and global change.
Assess supply side experiences and strategies of vulnerability to global change. Focus on ropeways companies in ski areas as the traditional, the main driving and the most suffering stakeholders in ski destinations. Access the topic from an international scope to widen and broaden the national focus in an international and very mobile tourism market.
Extract sensitivity and adaptive elements to develop future ski area services scenarios focusing on behavioural adaption and mitigation.
Investigate customer preferences representing the German market. Model customer demand for sustainable ski tourism and test directed “sustainability” marketing. Develop consumer profiles based on economic willingness-to-pay data.
Discuss a differentiation in sensitivity of ski areas and possibilities of sustainable adaptive and mitigative capacity.
Build up a vulnerability management framework for ski areas.
Define further fields and questions of more in-depth research from the holistic system of ski destinations and global change of this study.
Furthermore we can conclude the goals of this study with two overall main goals:
1. Extend and differentiate the understanding of vulnerability of ski tourism to global change.
2. Develop and test opportunities for sustainable adaptation.
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