Climate tourism: Reflecting on scientific knowledge during vacation, the example of glacier tourism

Résumé En

Tourism has developed around the idea of discovery, even "scientific" research, as in the case of Horace Bénédicte de Saussure's ascent of Mont Blanc in the second half of the 18th century. More recently, many tourist sites, particularly nature sites, have focused on the aesthetic value of the landscape. Many glacial sites in the Alps have been built on this basis. However, the current retreat of the glaciers is changing the glacial landscapes and the perception of their visitors. This has given rise to the idea of 'last chance tourism', where tourists come to see a feature - usually natural - before it disappears. For example, many studies show that visitors to glacial sites now come to see them before it is too late. However, beyond the idea of a last chance, qualitative research at the Mer de Glace, France's largest glacier, shows that visitors also come to understand the processes involved in glacial retreat, including a desire to better understand current climate change. This motivation shows that visitors are also interested in the scientific aspects of the glacier, recalling the early days of tourism in these places. The aim of this presentation is therefore to discuss the intersection of scientific tourism and last chance tourism, and a current trend that could be described as 'climate tourism' around glacier sites.