DAVOS, Switzerland: Idyllic island and beach holiday destinations on Tuesday launched a cry of alarm about the impact of climate change, warning it was threatening their scenery and their livelihoods. Tourism and government officials from Australia, Egypt, the Fiji islands and the Seychelles underlined that rising sea levels, warmer temperatures and storms were damaging beaches and coral reefs that underpin a vital part of their economies. The issue of climate change is no longer an issue for the future, it is an issue for today, Fijian Secretary for Tourism Bannve Kuamaitotoya told the UN meeting on climate change and tourism. There is a sense of urgency in the south Pacific, she added. The idyllic south Pacific island attracts 500,000 visitors a year and its tourism industry accounts for 80 percent of development projects. However, climate change threatens to erode beaches and bring more frequent and intense storms, undermining the island s attractiveness to investors and tourists alike, Kuamaitotoya said. Similar concerns were expressed by the Maldives and the Seychelles in the Indian Ocean, which are confronted by rising sea levels. Abudllah Mausoom, director general of the Maldives tourism board, underlined that the low lying islands popularity depended mostly on their natural beauty. We have our crystal clear lagoons, snow white beaches, colored waves, the small animals that live in the reefs and the Maldives sunrise and sunsets, Mausoom said. This is our product. Climate change can change all of this. Climate change will change the nature of beauty, he added. At just 1.3 meters above sea level, three-quarters of the islands forming the Maldives are among the most vulnerable to rising sea levels caused by melting polar ice caps, scientists on the UN s panel on climate change have predicted. Tourism in the Maldives accounts directly for one-third of national income, about a similar level to the Seychelles. Pull out tourism and you pull out 60 to 80 percent of activity in the country, said Michael Nalletamby of the Seychelles tourism board. Australian Greater Barrier Reef Authority Chief Andrew Skeat underlined the impact of coral bleaching caused by higher water temperatures on one of the country s major tourist attractions. Meanwhile Egyptian tourism ministry official Mahmoud El Kaissouni highlighted predictions of rising sea levels for its Mediterranean coastline, and coral bleaching affecting reefs that are a big attraction for Egypt s Red Sea resorts.
