Exploring Tourists' Preferences for Forest Ecosystem Services Under Climate Change: Insights From a Case Study in the Austrian Alps

Forests are important providers of ecosystem services (ESs) for mountain tourism; however, they are also vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. We explore tourists' perceptions and valuation of mountain forest ESs and climate change and analyze the findings within the Drivers–Pressures–States–Impacts–Response framework. Using the Stubai valley in the Austrian Alps as a case study, we surveyed 349 summer tourists on how they value mountain forest ESs and perceive changes in them. We found that forests and high-mountain landscapes are important for visitors and almost all participants (>90%) would be willing to pay an extra environmental tourism tax. Additionally, we identified thresholds for behavioral change at 50% forest-area loss and >30°C temperature for most respondents. Within forest ESs, aesthetic services were the most frequently perceived role, followed by cooling effects. Our work highlights the need to understand tourists' ES demands in order to manage ESs accordingly and adapt to tourist demands under climate change.