Tourism transition lock-ins: an analysis of winter sports resorts from a path dependence perspective

Ski resorts face a number of challenges that threaten their future and potentially lead to their decline, one of which is climate change. Although dialogue on the transition of mountain tourism is beginning to emerge, it is often met with resistance. The present paper provides an overview of how evolutionary economic geography and the concept of path dependence can be used to analyse the lock-in mechanisms slowing down this transition, and highlights those caused by a blend of economic, structural and political-institutional factors in ski resort areas. Two types of lock-ins are distinguished: specific employment structure and the widely-shared view that mountain areas have no alternative to winter sports. These dynamics show that close relationships between stakeholders in a regional tourism economy can actually slow down its development.