Despite Norway’s commitment to a goal of zero emissions within 2050, truly effective measures have yet to be implemented. In order to fulful international climate objectives, Norwegian society will need to undergo a deep transition involving considerable emission cuts across all sectors, including tourism – a sector currently characterized by a high level of energy consumption and, in particular, large transport-related emissions. Interestingly, the same sector is expected to constitute an important part of the post-oil economy. This paradox leads to various challenges at which the research project TourRISK will look more closely.

The project focuses on two types of risks: The first category, referred to as carbon risks, pertains to the risks associated with tackling new costs related to mitigating carbon emissions, such as a new carbon tax or having to implement new and expensive technology to curb emissions. Tourism patterns may also be affected by changes in climate policies in Norway or abroad.

Another set of risks, climate change risks, pertains to tourism being affected by various consequences of climate change, such as a lack of snow or extreme weather events deterring tourists from visiting a destination. The approach other countries take to cutting emissions or adapting to climate change may also affect Norway.

The project’s main objective is to describe policies for Norway’s future tourism sector in light of the climate crisis the world is faced with. Ideally, the tourism sector of tomorrow should be resilient and able to withstand world events and crises better than today’s tourism sector, as well as becoming a low-emission and high-yield sector.