Holiday bioclimatology: a study of Palma de Majorca, Spain

Abstract

To evaluate the thermal conditions in Palma de Majorca various human comfort indices have been used (equivalent-temperature, cooling power, energy balance). The calculations and classification of cold stress and heat load show clear biometerological differences in the yearly pattern which can be of help in planning a holiday, especially for elderly people and the chronically ill. Finally certain symptoms are listed which provide the physician with an idea of which diseases can be positively influenced by the climate in the individual seasons. IntroductionBiometeorological studies of human beings encounter the difficulty that man's wellbeing is influenced not only by the meteorological parameters but also by adaptive processes and individual behaviour patterns.These interwoven forces which influences each other mutually can only be documented approximately, whereby the biometeorological method chosen depends always on the question posed (1).A research project which studies the bioclimate and senior citizen tourism in Majorca* will exemplify in which way it is possible to get an objective picture of the biometeorological recreational value, and what consequences can be drawn for health resort tourism.In our case various biometeorological evaluation methods were used and surveys were also taken of senior citizens wintering abroad (average age 70) in February and March 1987 in Palma de Majorca (Arenal). It was unfortunately not possible to gather physiological data. * This study was supported from OAMTC Wien and TUI Uannover.

Weather- and climate-related information for tourism

“…The advantages of the human-biometeorological indices are that they all require the same input parameters (air temperature, air humidity, wind speed as well as short-and Figure 7) and probabilities may be less relevant on their own (Harlfinger, 1991;Giles and Perry, 1998;Matzarakis, 2002;de Freitas, 2003).…”

A Statistical Adjustment of Regional Climate Model Outputs to Local Scales: Application to Platja de Palma, Spain

“…Well-founded tourism climate indices must take into account, beyond a simple analysis of meteorological parameters, an integrated human body-atmosphere energy balance model to calculate the thermal sensation and even aesthetic aspects, such as cloud cover, or physical facets, such as wind intensity and rain occurrence. Some examples of different tourism climate indices and their applications have been used, for example, by Mieczkowski (1985), Becker (1998), Harlfinger (1991, Morgan et al (2000), Amelung andViner (2006), andDe Freitas et al (2008). Integration of these tourism climate indices within the climatic scenarios derived from RCMs appear to be of maximum interest for subsequent studies dealing with the future evolution of tourism in the SPdP, the Balearic Islands, and the whole Mediterranean region in general.…”

Progress in Tourism Management: From the geography of tourism to geographies of tourism – A review

“…Mieczkowski 1985;Harlfinger 1991;Gomez-Martín 2005). Given improved datasets and methodological improvements a new generation of climate and tourism indices (de Freitas et al 2004) as well as evaluations of tourism demand in relation to climatic factors have been developed (Gomez-Martín 2004.…”