engleski

Impact of climate change on heating and cooling needs in Crikvenica as a health tourism destination

Crikvenica has had a long tradition of tourism in Croatia. In order to maintain tourism as the town’s most lucrative activity, continuous investment in tourism and the auxil- iary infrastructure is important - particularly medical tourism since it includes tourists with a need for special indoor and outdoor comfort. Climate changes are some of the most important reasons for infrastructure investment, since the great benefits of tourism in Crikvenica have al- ways depended on its natural resources, mainly the pleasant climate. The influence of climate changes on internal thermal comfort during the period 1902-2016, analysed on the basis of sev- en derived temperature parameters, can be seen in the statistically significant trends in later start dates and earlier end dates for household heating, a decline in the energy needed for heating and an increase in the energy needed for cooling. On the basis of three temperature thresholds for four temperature parameters, heating/cooling energy consumption in poorly and highly insulated buildings is discussed, and the possibility of saving energy with the use of proper insulation is explained. In order to show the intensity of recent climate changes, seven temperature parameters’ probability distributions for the period 1981-2010 are compared with the relevant distributions in the referent period 1961-1990. This comparison is made to im- prove the awareness of climate change risk and to help in strategic planning within the tourism industry in Crikvenica, with the intention of remaining competitive on the tourism market.

heating season start and end dates ; heating and cooling degree-days ; trends ; probabilities ; Crikvenica (Croatia)

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