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Climate, Demography, AI: Alerts You Shouldn’t Ignore [ABO]

September 14, 2026 by Amara Nambinga

Climat, démographie, IA... les alertes qu’il ne faut pas ignorer - Depositphotos.com Auteur OlekStock

MSC Croisières

It would be unnecessary to revisit the flood of comments, analyses, and expert assessments that have poured into the media, and predictions—sometimes highly alarming, sometimes moderate—recorded all over the world; yet there are other alerts issued by our planet in distress that do not bode well for a calm future of travel and tourism.

As an example, we have identified a few of them that will at least help you anticipate development strategies (sometimes far too often reckless) and better understand where the world is headed!

« Tsunami ready »: UNESCO Mobilizes along the Côte d’Azur

While an unexpected mud tsunami has killed hundreds in Nepal (as we write), note that since June Nice, Cagnes-sur-Mer, Saint-Laurent-du-Var, Beaulieu, Villefranche-sur-Mer and Eze have earned UNESCO’s Tsunami Ready label.

They thus join neighboring Cannes, which was labeled in 2024, and now display the 800 warning panels installed along coastal areas to inform affected populations of two things: firstly, the direction to move to distance themselves as much as possible from the water in case of a tsunami alert. Secondly, additional panels indicate zones to be evacuated urgently.

Introduced after the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, which, as remembered, claimed more than 220,000 victims including thousands of holidaymakers, this UNESCO-coordinated global tsunami alert system should not go unnoticed in a region that is known to be particularly sensitive to earthquakes and other landslides capable of sweeping away populations and transportation infrastructures, homes, beaches, airports…

Relying on a very dense network of sensors, seismographs, and regional alert centers combining scientific expertise, international coordination, and the ability of local authorities to act quickly, the system is still in its early days but demonstrates the extreme vigilance to which humanity must devote itself in order to avert tragedies with dramatic consequences.

Covering today the ocean basins of the Pacific, the Indian Ocean, the Caribbean, the Northeast Atlantic, and the Mediterranean, the system is thus present in Samos in Greece, in Alexandria, in Costa Rica, in the Marshall Islands, in Honduras, in Cadiz in Spain… and more and more in India, Turkey, as well as in Peru which is celebrating its first label this year. Altogether, 43 countries have developed it.

While UNESCO acts to strengthen the resilience of coastal communities through several key initiatives, all experts are on edge, research is energised and the press fortunately serves as a vigilant, well-documented relay:

– Debating and proposing with Shift Project: Among the many laudable initiatives, note that Jean-Marc Jancovici’s Shift Project has just launched a “citizens’ assembly” consisting of 150 people invited to debate in person. A participatory platform: www.uncommunaccord.fr will allow participation in the debate to which tourism professionals should participate in large numbers.

– In a more tourism-oriented register, note that new data from Protect Group, a major supplier of travel-related products and services, reveal that the conversion rate for reimbursement insurance for its partners has nearly doubled, rising from 14% to 27%. France has also progressed, reflecting travelers’ willingness to manage risks caused by all sorts of operational disruptions or simply by a desire for greater flexibility: “travellers increasingly regard protection as an essential part of the booking process rather than a mere extra option,” said Stephen Joyce, Head of Global Strategy – Travel & Tourism at Protect Group.

Demographic Alert: “Global Depopulation Is the Most Likely Future”

In another domain, just as essential but less visible, the reversal by demographers of forecasts strikes me as particularly evocative of the false detours that forecasting activities can take.

It was said that the world population would reach 10 billion people by 2050, up from 8 billion today. Yet the prospect now points to a dramatic slowdown linked to a decline in fertility rates. Notably in Korea, Brazil, Italy… about forty countries are already affected.

While China, hit by its one-child policy, will see its population by the end of the century fall to around 650 million. And this against the United States where the fertility rate will be higher, so the population will rise without necessarily having the workforce needed for unskilled jobs!

And especially with respect to an Africa that is estimated to reach 2.5 billion inhabitants, i.e., more than double its current level, the world’s geopolitics and the handling of migration flows, including within the continent where they are the most numerous, will have to be reconsidered. Already, it is forecast that 750,000 African immigrants will be legalized in 2050.

…But what does all this mean? An aging population in the West and in China means a population less innovative, less dynamic, more costly for the state, more demanding of care tailored to its needs… But, good news, emphasize the demographers, it will be more peaceful.

As for the geopolitics of this tomorrow’s world, it is far from predictable with countries like Indonesia, Pakistan, Nigeria reaching 400 million inhabitants and India at 1.4 billion.

In any case, for this “old” world, it would also be a good time to consider planning for the future in all equipment to be built, a possible reconversion for seniors, as Japan is already doing!

We could also try to address the worst of the ills affecting seniors: isolation.

Tourism and Climate: 5 Practical Actions to Reduce Your Company’s Carbon Footprint [ABO]

September 14, 2026 by Amara Nambinga

Il faut vraiment voir la transition écologique comme un formidable levier d'innovation et d’adaptation - DepositPhotos.com, duiwoy

MSC Croisières

This summer, it’s hard to open a newspaper without encountering a climate-related story.

The megafires have devastated Gironde, fires have multiplied in several regions of France, water restrictions linked to a drought are taking hold for good… All these events remind us that climate change is no longer a distant scenario. It is already shaping our territories, our landscapes, and our tourist activities.

And as if that weren’t enough, July 2026 has become the hottest month ever recorded in France, after a June that was already historic!

Tourism is on the front line. It suffers directly from climate disruption: shaken seasons, closures of natural sites, tensions over water resources, evolving traveler expectations…

But it also contributes. According to the latest estimates from the Service des données et études statistiques (SDES), the carbon footprint of tourism consumption in France reached 75 million tonnes of CO₂e in 2023.

Movements alone account for 65% of this footprint, making it by far the primary lever of action for the sector.

The think tank The Shift Project also notes that 85% of the distances traveled by the French for their trips still rely on fossil fuels. A finding that shows the scale of the challenge… but also the numerous opportunities for innovation for the sector!

So, faced with these figures, what do we do? Where to begin? First good news: reducing your carbon footprint does not mean giving up travel. No, it’s mostly about rethinking certain practices.

And second good news: not all actions have the same impact. The goal isn’t to change everything at once, but to focus your efforts on the emission sources that matter most. And for that you will need to calculate your carbon footprint!

Measuring to Act More Effectively

Reducing your carbon footprint without a metric is a bit like hiking without a map: you move forward, but it’s hard to know if you’re heading in the right direction.

Tools such as the Bilan Carbone® (created in 2004 by ADEME and carried since 2011 by ABC, the Association for the Low-Carbon Transition), or the GHG Protocol help identify the main emission sources and set action priorities.

Expect not to obtain a perfectly precise figure. The carbon footprint assessment is mainly about understanding where the largest impacts lie so you can invest your time and resources where they will be truly useful.

And now that you have a solid starting point, we can really begin!

1. Act on mobility, the first lever of decarbonization

Unsurprisingly, transport represents the main emission source in tourism.

For many, this is where the biggest gains lie. Of course, a hotel or a travel agency doesn’t always choose the transportation mode for their clients. However, they can influence their decisions.

Some action options :

– highlight train itineraries during the booking process

– offer discounts or benefits to travelers arriving by soft mobility

– develop partnerships with public transport networks or bicycle rental operators

– install charging stations for electric vehicles

– encourage business trips by train whenever possible.

Internally, we can also rethink staff travel through carpooling, a sustainable mobility allowance, or telework when missions allow.

The goal here is not to ban flying or driving, but to offer more alternatives and to make the leaner choices easier and more attractive!

2. Reduce energy consumption in buildings

Hotels, restaurants, campsites, holiday residences, or visitor sites: buildings also account for a substantial share of greenhouse gas emissions.

Good news: many actions can reduce both the carbon footprint AND energy bills at the same time!

Among the most effective levers :

– gradually replacing lighting with LEDs

– improving thermal insulation

– optimizing heating and cooling systems

– installing occupancy sensors in common areas

– regularly monitoring energy consumption to identify drifts.

The most significant investments can be integrated into an energetic renovation strategy over several years. Again, the key is to progress step by step.

4. Buy differently

5. And finally, never forget the digital realm!

Online booking, marketing campaigns, websites, social networks, artificial intelligence… digital technology has become essential in our daily lives and for work.

Unfortunately, because digital isn’t something tangible, its environmental impact is still largely unknown.

Without giving up (of course) on digital tools, it’s possible to adopt a more restrained approach :

– lighten your website and remove unnecessary content

– limit video on your site and on social networks

– extend the life of IT equipment

– limit the storage of superfluous data

– use AI tools when relevant, prioritizing high-value uses.

To learn more about the environmental impact of digital technology, especially AI, I recommend the article “Artificial Intelligence: The Real Environmental Cost of the AI Race” by Bon Pote, and participating in or organizing workshops like The Fresque du Numérique and The Battle of AI.

Bonus idea: getting certified to accelerate your transition

When a company wants to structure its environmental approach, a question sometimes arises: should we aim for a label? The answer is usually yes… provided you don’t treat the label as an end in itself.

A label is not intended to “greenwash” a company. Its real value lies elsewhere: it helps to structure the approach, set objectives, measure progress, and commit to continuous improvement.

For tourism professionals, it also serves as a trust signal to travelers, partners, and employees.

Depending on your activity, several frameworks can guide you :

– La Clef Verte is today the leading international environmental label dedicated to tourist accommodations and restaurants ;

– for tour operators, the ATR label – Acting for Responsible Tourism – highlights agencies committed to a demanding approach to environmental, social, and economic responsibility ;

– companies with an international presence can also look to Travelife, recognized in the sector ;

– you can also rely on cross-cutting standards such as ISO 14001, Engaged CSR (AFNOR) or B Corp, which help structure a global sustainability strategy.

Whatever standard you choose, the essential remains the same: use the label as a tool for progression, not as a mere showcase.

Finally, don’t forget a crucial factor: the people. Raise awareness among your employees and your travelers!

You can find some tips in two previous articles: “10 essential awareness workshops in tourism” and “Responsible travel: how to engage without guilt?”

Reducing Your Carbon Footprint: An Opportunity to Reinvent Tourism

For a long time, ecological transition was seen as a sequence of constraints: new regulations, investments, changes in habits…

Today, it’s essential to view it as a formidable lever of innovation and adaptation.

Of course, reducing your carbon footprint helps limit your impact on the climate. But it’s also an opportunity to control energy consumption, strengthen ties with local actors, offer more authentic experiences, and meet the expectations of a clientele that is increasingly attentive to these issues.

And no, reducing your carbon footprint does not mean doing less tourism. It’s about tourism that is more resilient, leaner, and more desirable.

Each company will progress at its own pace. What matters is to start, to measure progress, and to keep learning.

As always, the best low-carbon strategy is not the one that promises perfection, but the one that becomes a durable part of the company’s daily life!

Key takeaways for tourism professionals

– start by identifying your main emission sources before multiplying actions.

– transport, energy, food, purchases, and digital are the main levers for reduction.

– training your teams is essential to sustainably transform practices.

– support your travelers with simple and positive solutions rather than guilt-inducing messages.

– CSR labels provide an excellent framework to structure your approach and showcase your commitments.

– the low-carbon transition is not only a response to climate change: it’s also an opportunity to strengthen resilience, attractiveness, and competitiveness of your business.

Find all articles by Camille Le Guilloux by clicking here.

Expert in Responsible Marketing, Camille Le Guilloux is on a mission to inspire, equip, and guide companies toward more ethical and sustainable marketing practices.

Having become an impact-driven infopreneur and facilitator of various CSR awareness workshops (Climate Fresk, 2 Tons Workshop, Ocean Fresk, Fresk of the New Narratives), she now helps businesses and business-school students implement effective and responsible strategies.

Website: www.kerezenn.com

Tourism: Can We Reimagine the Climate?

August 25, 2026 by Amara Nambinga

Tourisme : peut-on réinventer le climat ? - Depositphotos.com Auteur IgorVetushko

Costa Rica

The moment is grave.

On July 1st, it was announced that the average ocean temperature had risen to 20.98°C. Unprecedented! Also alarming, a third heat wave is forecast for this coming weekend? It is enough to unsettled many holidaymakers for whom climate change has become a reality, forcing them to ask questions they had never asked before.

It is now clear that people wonder whether they will tomorrow spend the spring in Andalusia and abandon snow-covered fields to a few privileged ones? Will we also visit the wastelands that have become the Emirates and their pharaonic constructions?

Will we attend outdoor events that are entirely climate-controlled? Will we abandon the centers of European cities that have become unbreathable? Will we again invest in luxurious second homes in the Lubéron or the Centre-Var at low prices?

… These questions, as we have written, have been asked for decades without the urgency being acknowledged. That is why policymakers are now making our next elections hinge on a debate about fans!

Fortunately, scientists have not been idle. In search of solutions, they are conducting research gathered under the umbrella of geoengineering. A broad term describing “deliberate, large-scale interventions in the Earth’s natural systems to combat climate change.”

Still relatively little known to the general public, especially in France, these technologies are the fruit of much more intensive research in Canada, Germany, the USA, the United Kingdom and especially in China. And some climatologists, including renowned ones, are envisioning their deployment on a large scale to prevent excessive warming.

Two broad categories of solutions

But, it is worth distinguishing two major categories of techniques that are based on very different approaches and carry different risks.

The first category concerns solutions that remove CO₂ from the atmosphere in order to reduce its amount. Known, they include efforts to reforest forests, peat bogs, plant trees, or restore ecosystems that naturally absorb CO₂. But they also involve capturing CO₂ directly from the air with air-filtering plants that extract carbon dioxide, which is then stored underground. You follow?

Transforming vegetation waste into a stable charcoal that is buried in soils is also a solution that, in addition, improves soil quality. Meanwhile, there is knowledge of altering and spreading crushed rocks (such as basalt) on soils to accelerate chemical reactions that capture CO₂!

Second Solution: We Think More About Sunlight

The techniques grouped in this other category do not remove CO₂ but seek to decrease the amount of heat absorbed by the Earth.

Here are some more or less well-known examples, such as injecting aerosols into the stratosphere to scatter very fine particles that reflect a portion of solar radiation.

We can also proceed with brightening marine clouds by spraying seawater to render some clouds more reflective. Or, more simply, we can repaint roofs white or use highly reflective materials to achieve temperature drops of several degrees. As for high-altitude clouds that trap heat… We know how to modify them.

All these solutions, however, are not without risks and are debated among scientific communities worldwide that are experimenting with these approaches.

To be clearer, here are a few examples of ongoing experiments in the tourism destinations most affected by a complex phenomenon that will not spare us… and will spare us even less because the investments required are particularly heavy and risky.

Solutions in place around the world

China operates the largest cloud-seeding program in the world to induce rain or snow in certain regions. The Great Green Wall is, for its part, a vast reforestation program aimed at slowing desertification, sequestering carbon, and protecting soils. Finally, the Middle Kingdom is also developing research on stratospheric aerosol injection.

Dubai and the Emirates, designed and built to be full-time tourist destinations, regularly use cloud seeding to create artificial rainfall. A technology often cited as an example of meteorological geoengineering, even though it operates on a regional rather than planetary scale.

Qatar uses technologies for emissions reduction with carbon capture and storage in natural gas facilities. The country also conducts research on greening desert zones and agriculture adapted to arid climates.

In Iceland: the Orca and Mammoth facilities directly capture CO₂ from the air and store it in basalt rocks.

In the United States: the SCoPEx project (from Harvard University) studied stratospheric aerosol injection, but outdoor trials were suspended.

In Australia: researchers are experimenting with marine cloud brightening to protect the Great Barrier Reef from warming.

Saudi Arabia, uncertain, has stepped back. Saudi Arabia, whose tourism ambitions have not escaped anyone, does not pursue a large-scale geoengineering climate program. Instead, it is investing heavily in technologies for local environmental modification and in related infrastructure. Confident, it has invested in the Trojena project, planned to host the 2029 Asian Winter Games, outside the NEON framework.
But, facing difficulties in establishing a true snow-making system, the Kingdom, despite its billions, announced the postponement of the Games to an indeterminate date. Not only are water supply and management via desalination, storage, and recycling complex, but reinventing the local climate does not come easy.
As a substitute, Saudi Arabia announces the holding of smaller winter sport events in the coming years, in order to at least stay in the spotlight…

Does Climate Tourism Exist? [ABO]

August 25, 2026 by Amara Nambinga

Berck-sur-Mer a été troublé par les canicules mais bien moins que la façade atlantique ou la Méditerranée. - Photo JS

Costa Rica

Follow me: oppressive heat lingers over Paris while the nearby Fontainebleau forest endures one of the fiercest fires in its history.

Clearly, the grand bonfire long sought by the German armies no longer requires their vengeful madness. “Paris is not burning yet” but almost.

And the handful of tourists wandering slowly along the asphalt find it hard to carry out their plans for discovery. Beyond pharmacies, cinemas, department stores and luxury hotels… it cannot be said they are enjoying their stay.

By contrast, a few dozen kilometers to the north, along the shores of the North Sea, vast wind-swept beaches carved by tides and battered by winds offer visitors exceptional freshness.

In Berck-plage, for example, a resort whose reputation has grown around its medical facilities and its annual kite festival, children bounce on white sand and challenge the waves in ideal weather that, this year, was also troubled by heat waves but far less than the Atlantic coast or the Mediterranean.

Between dunes, kites and freshness

Comme toutes ses consœurs de la Côte d’Opale, Berck a bel et bien d’autant plus une carte à jouer qu’elle se situe comme Le Touquet, Hardelot, Fort Mahon… à deux petites heures de la capitale et dispose d’un parc d’hébergement de mieux en mieux loti. - Photo JS

For the resort director, it is clear that beyond the usual local vacationers, the northern shores become an unexpected asset that will need to be promoted.

And especially promoted to a somewhat farther clientele (the Paris Basin) who often has little knowledge of the region and clings to outdated clichés that feature mussel-eaters and people undergoing rehabilitation.

Like all its Opal Coast sisters, Berck indeed has an even greater card to play as it lies near Le Touquet, Hardelot, Fort-Mahon… just two hours from the capital and boasts an increasingly well-equipped housing stock.

Rentals, high-end campsites, hotels… dot the brand-new seafront esplanade, making not only a stroll but entertainment easier. Living up perfectly to its Family-Plus label, the resort has put in place substantial efforts to welcome both young vacationers and local youth…

Yet, as some professionals note, one must be careful not to promise too much because, here as elsewhere, climate uncertainty reigns.

Climate Tourism: An Old Story

With the potential to trigger storms, droughts, rains, etc., is weather a new determinant in choosing destinations, especially for the summer season? That’s what many say.

But for the moment, it is clear that no one can forecast with 100% certainty. We speak with emphasis and confidence of urban temperatures rising by as much as 50% by 2050. Yet we do not know what tomorrow will bring.

Controversies about artificial cooling are being fed without undertaking the necessary steps to reintroduce a genuine climate tourism policy as it existed at the beginning of the century. All across France.

Across the world, particularly in colonies, let us recall that the “gentry” used to spend summers in the leafy shade of high-altitude resorts. In Vietnam, Laos, the Himalayas, Algeria, Morocco… summers were thus tolerable.

But, at a moment when the concept of climate stations should regain momentum, “climate tourism” has been erased in favor of a rush toward sports and cultural activism.

Unless it makes a comeback through a different angle, that of well-being.

Polar tourism, luxury tourism, last-chance tourism

Whatever the case, this form of tourism clearly states its purpose of offering spectacular journeys to regions still partly escaping drought.

Thus, the travel agency Connaisseurs du voyage, specialized in aerial cruises, promotes “A world tour in the unprecedented High North, amid untouched nature.” For 23 days, a private plane carries a small group of travelers from Iceland to Alaska, via Greenland, for the modest sum of 27,000 euros.

Greenland, in particular, boosted by the expansion of Nuuk’s international airport, its capital, is starting to captivate those seeking new destinations.

Meanwhile the Faroe Islands, whose exact location remains unknown to many, promise French travelers three weekly flights from Paris/CDG on the Air-Baltic airline. Leveraging a particularly cool climate, the Danish islands envision a tourist future akin to Iceland but with fewer missteps. Only about 3 hours by plane from Paris. A real windfall.

Another example: according to estimates from the U.S. travel agency AdventureSmith Explorations, which offers expeditions to the North and South Poles, the number of travelers opting for a cruise with a flight has risen by more than 4,400% in twenty years, from 230 in 2004 to over 10,000 in 2024!

For that matter, on the southern continent as well, the number of cruises is rising rapidly. From 22,000 travelers at the start of the 2000s, it has climbed to more than 120,000 today, according to data from the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO).

A Climate Tourist at Three Speeds

For more than 25 years, journalist, consultant, and speaker Josette Sicsic has been observing the world’s changes to analyze their implications for the tourism sector.

After developing the Touriscopie journal for over 20 years, she remains at the forefront of current events, decoding the present to forecast the future. On the site www.tourmag.com, in the Futuroscopie section, she publishes predictive and analytical articles several times a week.

Contact: 06 14 47 99 04

Email: [email protected]

Will the Coastline Survive Climate Disruptions?

July 3, 2026 by Amara Nambinga

Le littoral va-t-il survivre aux désordres climatiques ? - Photo JS

CroisiEurope

What made our country a pioneer in the legal field concerning coastal zones. Pioneer, certainly, but exemplary? Perhaps not! One more time, we pay the price of years of carefree neglect. Worse still! Those times when we knew better but where the economy took precedence!

People talk a lot about the mountains and their troubled future while the coast, the most beautiful tourist jewel of the Hexagon and many other destinations, is rarely mentioned. Yet, one could live without the mountains in winter but much less so without the sea and its coastlines which continue to be the vacationers’ favorite summer destination… but which are becoming increasingly vulnerable. What is happening? And what happened?

In fact, although celebrated, the anniversary of the Coastal Law is no longer enough. Adopted on January 7, 1986, unanimously, the law aimed to regulate urbanization of attractive yet vulnerable territories such as coastal areas, and rests and still rests on the fight against the proliferation of new constructions, concreting, and soil artificialization. All within a 100-meter wide strip from the shore.

Pertinent and courageous, this legislation arrived, it seems, a little late. It arrived not only after privileged people settled along the seafront with exceptional panoramas, but also and above all at the end of the major coast development missions.

Launched by a state keen to develop the territory by promoting tourism and economic development, the Racine mission for example began in June 1963 with the aim of bringing to life in Languedoc Roussillon no fewer than seven seaside towns that would become among the most popular in Europe.

Within twenty years, Gruissan and Port Leucate in Aude, Port Camargue in Gard, La Grande-Motte and Cap d’Agde in Hérault, Port Barcarès and Saint-Cyprien in Pyrénées-Orientales were born.

On the Atlantic coast: the same strategy. The Interministerial Mission for the Development of the Atlantic Coast (MIACA) was tasked with defining the tourist development of the Atlantic littoral. In two decades, from 1967 to 1988, newcomers like Hourtin, Seignosse, Carcan Maubuisson … became the locomotives of a booming seaside tourism and a housing demand just as prolific.

Globally, according to INSEE, housing in metropolitan France rose from 19 million in 1970 to 36.6 million in 2019. This gives an idea of the scale of the projects and the needs of a growing population that continues to drive the coastal housing stock, which also increased by 45% over the period 1990-2019!

Forty years on, what assessment?

Certes, le littoral avait besoin d’être aménagé de façon méthodique, selon des plans ambitieux mais raisonnés, au contraire de ce que subissaient au même moment les côtes espagnoles de la Costa Brava à la Costa del Sol ou les Côtes italiennes de l’Adriatique et déjà celles de Tunisie…

Autant de littoraux qui rêvaient de ce nouvel or bleu capable d’améliorer leur cadre de vie, ouvrir leur pays, accumuler des recettes et générer des centaines de milliers d’emplois de taille à sortir de la pauvreté une partie de la population.

Quant aux ports de plaisance jusque-là plutôt rares, they also began to proliferate along our shores to develop a democratization and densification of a boating activity: nautical tourism.

A ce jour, environ 500 ports ont été construits dans notre pays avec les logements adaptés, often marinas modeled on the American pattern and all the necessary public spaces to host an increasingly motorized public, demanding parking and other commercial spaces.

A lack of foresight

Where is the problem? In fact, France like others, blinded by the mirage of a society in full transition, did not anticipate the changes that some were already warning about.

Wasn’t René Dumont a candidate in the 1974 presidential election under the ecological banner?

A major milestone in the political discourse of the time and the first battles against the excesses of coastal urbanization elsewhere, which also manifested itself through a significant initiative: the creation of the Conservatoire du Littoral in 1975.

A national public administrative body whose mission is to pursue a land policy to safeguard the coastal space, to respect natural sites, and to maintain ecological balance….

It continues today its work of acquisition and preservation, which must be acknowledged as having saved many coastal areas from bulldozers, and you can consult it on the excellent site of the conservatory.

A progressive growth of the housing stock between 1990 and 2020

The metropolitan coastline housing stock comprises 4.7 million dwellings, of which 66% are primary residences, 28% secondary residences, and 6% vacant homes.

Brought down to municipal area, the density of housing along the coast is 3.2 times higher than the metropolitan average (206 dwellings per km2 versus 64 dwellings per km2 for the country as a whole).

The Mediterranean coast concentrates the largest number of dwellings (2.3 million), followed by the North Atlantic–English Channel coast (1.2 million), the East Channel–North Sea (0.7 million) and the South Atlantic (0.5 million).

Sources Data Lab. Ministère de la transition écologique

The coast in a few figures

Journalist, consultant, speaker, Josette Sicsic has been observing for more than 25 years the shifts in the world to analyze their consequences for the tourism sector.

After developing for more than 20 years the Touriscopie journal, she remains at the heart of current affairs where she decodes the present to forecast the future. On the site www.tourmag.com, in the Futuroscopie section, she publishes several times a week forward-looking and analytical articles.

Contact: 06 14 47 99 04

Email: [email protected]

Tourism in the Face of Climate Change: Adapt or Endure? [ABO]

June 28, 2026 by Amara Nambinga

Tourisme : des destinations best sellers seront invivables... - crédit photo : visuel généré à l'aide de l'IA

CroisiEurope

In 2014, to raise awareness about climate change, TF1 attempted a projection exercise during a weather bulletin.

We are August 17, 2050. France is smothered under an oppressive sun, barely veiled.

“Tomorrow morning, temperatures will already be very high, notably in Paris, Perpignan or Nice, with 26 degrees. In the afternoon, we will reach or exceed 40°C: 41 in Strasbourg, 40 in the capital, 42 in Lyon and up to 43 degrees forecast in Nîmes,” announced Evelyne Dhéliat, during a weather bulletin aired after the evening news.

Science fiction? Not at all. Just twelve years earlier, one could see that there was no need to project so far. These temperatures, which used to belong to forecasting, have become reality, even before summer has begun.

As economist Maxime Combes notes, Evelyne Dhéliat made three errors in her forecasts: no, Brittany and the Cotentin will not be spared; no, you won’t have to wait until August to burn on the spot; and no, you shouldn’t wait until 2050 either.

Indeed, by the end of 2026, France is already beating records one after another. It had already reached 37.8 °C at La Couronne in Charente, 37.4 °C in Perpignan and 37.6 °C in Narbonne.

While travel agencies struggle, France burns. And some still prefer to avert their eyes, when they don’t choose to laugh.

Tourism: Best-Selling Destinations Will Become Unlivable…

On his side, Daniel Riolo, a journalist whose humor is increasingly lacking, urged the French to stop “whining“, while asserting “it’s hot, enough already!”

A few hours later, in a classroom in Soustons, in the Landes, the thermometer surged and reached 53 degrees.

We are at the end of May, the students are suffocating, but all it will take is to slip on a T-shirt and open the windows. Seriously? Two very bad pieces of advice in such a situation.

Let us be clear: our industry cannot avoid a reflection on its future, even as crises follow one another, whether for travel agencies or for institutional actors.

To read: Greenhouse gas emissions: tourism must (quickly) act or die?

Because if we do nothing, an entire swath of destinations marketed by distribution, but also countries heavily dependent on tourism, will become unvisitable during the summer period.

“If we do nothing, the South and the Mediterranean basin will be regions comparable to the desert of Africa. In short, this region will no longer be attractive for summer vacations. The sand will be so hot that no one will be able to walk there.

Tourists will not want to stay in their hotel room all day, when there are other places to go out.

If we do nothing, I am not optimistic for this region“, explained a few years ago Wouter Vanneuville, climate adaptation expert at the European Environment Agency.

The clock is ticking. And even if adaptation in Europe is very costly, doing nothing will cost more, economically and in human terms.

… infrastructures will become obsolete

This episode of historical precocity reminds us that destinations are not the only things that are not adapted: our infrastructures are not in a better position.

Last week, SNCF had no choice but to cancel trains.

The carrier explained that this decision was necessary due to the risk of air conditioning failures, because equipment is too old and not robust enough to withstand extreme temperatures.

At the last EDV conference, Jean Castex, the former prime minister, underscored the urgency of the situation.

“I often say that climate-skeptics would be stunned by the evolution observed in just 15 years if they visited the SNCF.

This impact is now considerable. The consequences are not limited to more pronounced climatic phenomena.

We are particularly witnessing a rise in forest fires. Yet, our lines traverse numerous wooded areas, which can have a very significant impact on rail traffic.

There is also a disruption of wildlife and a sharp increase in trees falling onto the network. In ten years, they have multiplied by fourteen“, confided the CEO of SNCF.

The carrier also keeps a close watch on problems with catenaries, power supply, or the overheating of rails. When it is 37 °C, the temperature of the rail can reach 55 °C. At that level, it can warp.

In 2025 already, the new Nantes station had to be closed due to the heat. It has again made headlines last week.

Air travel will not be spared either.

Tourism is not the climate’s arch-enemy, but it must question itself!

In 2017, the city of Phoenix, United States, turned into a true furnace. The thermometer exceeded 50 degrees.

“The hotter the air, the less dense it is. Therefore, one must reach a higher takeoff speed. The length of the runway can be a determining factor in achieving that speed. In Phoenix, with this heat wave, air density made takeoffs impossible“, explained Clément Mallet, project manager for mobility and adaptation at Carbone 4, in a previous article.

Global warming will also intensify turbulence.

According to a study by researchers at the University of Reading, these phenomena are becoming more frequent due to warmer air. Today, on a Paris–New York flight, passengers experience an average of 10 minutes of turbulence.

By 2050, that will be more like 20 to 30 minutes.

Here are as many examples as there are to show that our industry is not ready to face this phenomenon that we, humanity, have created. And we have not even spoken about rising sea levels or the dwindling of snow in the mountains… nor about the regulatory risk that could be imposed on companies…

Good news, we still have our fate in our own hands.

And contrary to what a recently posted LinkedIn message by a captain suggested, it is clear that taxing French aviation will not change everything. But it is not either by shifting blame onto others or by minimizing one’s own impact on global warming that we will advance the debate.

With such reasoning, we could have allowed people to keep smoking in restaurants, bars or cafes. After all, one cigarette cannot hurt anyone. Likewise, it would be easier to avoid picking up after Fido’s poop or to refrain from throwing a bottle in the trash…

Of course, it is the sum of individual behaviors that is at stake. Only a broad, global awareness will keep our old Earth breathable.

So no, we should not stop traveling, nor flying. But we must all, collectively, adopt a reasoned behavior, so that this industry remains the powerful lever of emancipation and inclusion, whether in 2050 or beyond.