A slippery slope

: Gen Z’s motivation for ski tourism

Abstract

Winter tourism, or tourism to destinations with cold weather and snow, has been popular amongst tourists for generations. There are several destinations in the world that possess these criteria, however, past research shows that due to climate change and demographic change this number is declining. Specifically, destinations with lower altitude, and thus higher probability of being affected by warmer weather, are noticing a decline in number of visitors per year. Under the category winter tourism is ski tourism, including both cross-country skiing and downhill or alpine skiing. This dissertation focuses mainly on ski tourism and uncovering the motivations behind ski tourists, as well as exploring the possibility of lower motivations for ski tourism in generation Z. The results showed that the opposite is true, generation Z has a higher ski tourism travel motivation than generations Y and X. This discovery can give operators in the ski industry a prediction of future demand, as this challenges the previously assumed decrease due to demographic change. As for climate change, this study reveals a low consideration of climate change impact in consumers when travelling. This indicates a higher responsibility for the tourism industry to promote and ensure sustainable travel, as well as a need for better education when it comes to the environmental impact of travel.

Date of Award	30 Jun 2023
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Helena Rodrigues (Supervisor)