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| Research questions |
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A set of questions arises from the stated goals and hypotheses of this study. We di-vide questions as well as the methods into subsystems of an empirical supply side and demand side part being followed by a strategic integrative part.
Supply side questions:
On the supply side we picture the destination as a system but focus on the ski area and there on the ropeways companies as the main driving forces and the main threatened stakeholders. The interviews reflect the experiences of the unusually warm winter 2006/07.
How do ski areas perceive global change after their experiences of an analogue winter for future developments?
How vulnerable do they think to be and which are sensitivity elements?
How do they estimate their adaptive capacity and what are their adaptation strategies?
What is the willingness for mitigation?
Where do ski areas see the need for action, and where do they see chances in global change?
Would ski areas believe and invest in sustainable ski tourism?
Demand side questions:
All demand side question shall address and represent the German market of ski tourists.
What is the ski tourist’s awareness and perception of climate change impacts and of environmental aspects in ski tourism taken the experienced unusually warm winter of 2006/07 into account?
What is the perception of ski tourists on correlations between their behaviour as skiers and the management of ski areas from a perspective of sustainable devel-opment and feedback effects?
What are preferences of ski tourists for services and products in ski areas today?
How important is snow guarantee even if achieved by technical snow making as the main kind of applied technical adaptation? How do skiers accept less snow guarantee and thus alternatives to skiing?
What is the consumer’s acceptance to adapt demand to changing services?What is the demand for mitigative adaptation and sustainable ski tourism, which indicators meet customer expectations?
What is the effect of additional information and of directed environmental marketing on customer choice behaviour expressed in Euros willingness-to-pay? What is the willingness-to-pay for specific ski area attributes and how does it get affected by green marketing?
How are different socioeconomic groups reacting in their demand to information treatment and green marketing? What topics should be marketed in what way to target the market of sustainable consumption?
Integrative questions:
In the integrative part we join stakeholder and consumer results to come to a holistic picture of global change and ski tourism and to discuss vulnerability and strategic opportunities.
What are the feedback processes in the coupled human-environment system of ski tourism and global change?What vulnerability factors are of future relevance?
What strategies are adjacent to manage and increase adaptive capacity in a sustainable matter?
Is sustainable tourism a feasible real opportunity for ski areas?
What are other opportunities or aspects of key interest that need further research?
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