The Future of Ski Tourism Impacted by Climate Change - Potentials of Mountain Bike Tourism as a Fostering Element for Sustainable Destination Development in Northern Finland

Climate Change has various and mostly negative impacts on ski tourism worldwide. Especially in Northern Finland, winter tourism is of great importance for the local economy and is hence endangered. There are different adaptation strategies used in climate change impacted destinations such as artificial snowmaking or snow farming. Yet, those measurements only solve problems in the short term and are reactive instead of proactive. The most promising long-term strategy is product diversification. This paper investigates the potential mountain biking has for adapting to climate change in Northern Finland. Qualitative research in form of expert interviews in the Finnish tourism and outdoor industry has been complied. It resulted in the grounded theory, that mountain biking has indeed the potential to counteract the negative consequences of climate change on the tourism industry. Ecological, social, and economic implications for management have been added to ensure sustainable destination development