Assessment and Evaluation Methodology Report:Blue-Action Case Study Nr. 1

The end-product of this case study will be a climate service for a winter tourism centre Ruka in Northern Finland, with possibilities to replicate this service for other users. Snow security is of significant importance for winter tourism in North Finland and other comparable destinations in North Scandinavia and other snowy countries. The climate service for winter tourism centres aims to minimize energy consumption and other costs of snowmaking, while ensuring earliest possible skiing-season start. Additional costs caused by increased dependence on snowmaking for early season start will influence winter tourism centres’ profitability, as climate change causes delay of the arrival of winter, as well as the environmental impacts of snowmaking as an adaptation strategy.The main result of this deliverable is an assessment and evaluation scheme consisting of qualitative and quantitative (econometric) tools. A stated in the Blue-Action project plan, focus in the economic evaluation is on the value of the information for the end-user, particularly in terms of competitiveness and the willingness to pay for the service.The Blue-Action project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 727852