An Inter-Comparison of the Holiday Climate Index (HCI) and the Tourism Climate Index (TCI) in Europe

Daniel Scott; Michelle Rutty; Bas Amelung; Mantao Tang

doi:10.3390/atmos7060080

journal article Open Access Jun 07, 2016

An Inter-Comparison of the Holiday Climate Index (HCI) and the Tourism Climate Index (TCI) in Europe

Daniel Scott

Michelle Rutty Bas Amelung

Mantao Tang

Atmosphere Vol. 7 No. 6 pp. 80 · MDPI AG

View at Publisher Save 10.3390/atmos7060080

Abstract

Much research has been devoted to quantifying optimal or unacceptable climate conditions both generally and for specific tourism segments or activities over the last 10 years. This knowledge is not incorporated in the Tourism Climate Index (TCI), which has also been subject to other substantial critiques. To more accurately assess the climatic suitability of destinations for leisure tourism, the Holiday Climate Index (HCI) was developed. A major advancement of the HCI is that its variable rating scales and the component weighting system are based on this aforementioned literature of tourists’ stated climatic preferences. This paper will discuss the design of the HCI and how the limitations of the TCI were overcome. It then presents an inter-comparison of the results from HCI:Urban and TCI for geographically diverse urban destinations across Europe. The results illustrate how the HCI:Urban rates the climate of many cities higher than the TCI, particularly in shoulder seasons and the winter months, which is more consistent with observed visitation patterns. The results empirically demonstrate that use of the TCI should be discontinued.

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Details

Published: Jun 07, 2016
Vol/Issue: 7(6)
Pages: 80
License: View

Authors

D

Daniel Scott

Department of Geography and Environmental Management, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada

M

Michelle Rutty

Department of Community Sustainability, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA

B

Bas Amelung

Environmental Systems Analysis Group, Wageningen University, 6708 Wageningen, The Netherlands

M

Mantao Tang

Department of Geography and Environmental Management, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada

Cite This Article

Daniel Scott, Michelle Rutty, Bas Amelung, et al. (2016). An Inter-Comparison of the Holiday Climate Index (HCI) and the Tourism Climate Index (TCI) in Europe. Atmosphere, 7(6), 80. https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos7060080

An Inter-Comparison of the Holiday Climate Index (HCI) and the Tourism Climate Index (TCI) in Europe

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