Tourism and Recreation in a Warmer Indiana: A Report from the Indiana Climate Change Impacts Assessment

Indiana’s climate and geography make it an attractive place for outdoor tourism and recreation. Many months of each year are ideal for boating, fishing, swimming, hiking, camping, and taking in outdoor sporting events or festivals. But the world’s climate is changing, and Indiana’s is no exception. Temperature increases already seen over the last hundred years will accelerate, potentially through the end of this century, and precipitation patterns will change. Those changes will affect the many facets of tourism and recreation throughout the state, including the types of tourism the state can offer, the timing of events, and the quality of visitor experiences. Climate change will have significant impacts on many sectors, including health, urban spaces, aquatic ecosystems, and forests – to name a few. All of these sectors are tied to the state’s tourism, recreation, and hospitality industries, which rely on natural and human-built systems to create successful visitor experiences. This report from the Indiana Climate Change Impacts Assessment (IN CCIA) uses climate projections for the state to explore likely impacts for Indiana’s tourism and recreation industries