Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Application of UTCI in China from tourism perspective

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Theoretical and Applied Climatology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This study uses ERA-Interim reanalysis data and the Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI) to investigate the spatial pattern of thermal bioclimatic conditions in China. Our results show that the annual UTCI increases with decreasing latitude throughout most of China. Areas that experience “no thermal stress” are located southeast of the line formed by the Yanshan Mountains, Taihang Mountains, the southern edge of the Loess Plateau, and the eastern edge of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, with an area of 312.83e4 km2. During spring and autumn, the UTCI distribution is similar to the annual distribution. During summer, areas with “no thermal stress” cover the largest area (563.55e4 km2), including northern and southwestern China; in contrast, during winter, areas with “no thermal stress” only occur south of the Nanling Mountains. The annual number of days with “no thermal stress” increases from north to south in central and eastern China, exceeding 200 days in the Sichuan Basin, the southeastern coastal regions and the Yungui Plateau. The minimum and maximum values occur on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (≤10 days) and the southern Yungui Plateau (>280 days). Seasonal analysis indicates that there are over 70 days with “no thermal stress” in the Sichuan Basin, the Yungui Plateau and the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River during spring and autumn, while there are more than 80 days in northern and southwestern China during summer and over 80 days in areas south of the Nanling Mountains during winter. The results of this study can be helpful for optimization of the tourism industry and tourism destinations development in China.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Becken S (2013) A review of tourism and climate change as an evolving knowledge domain. Tour Manag Perspect 6:53–62. doi:10.1016/j.tmp.2012.11.006

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Blazejczyk K (2001) Assessment of recreational potential of bioclimate based on the human heat balance. In: Matzarakis A, de Freitas CR (eds) Proceedings of the 1st international workshop on climate, tourism and recreation, International Society of Biometeorology. Commission on Climate Tourism and Recreation, Halkidiki, Greece, pp 133–152

    Google Scholar 

  • Blazejczyk K (2007) Multiannual and seasonal weather fluctuations and tourism in Poland. In: Amelung B, Blazejczyk K, Matzarakis A (eds) Climate change and tourism-assessment and copying strategies. Institute of Geography and Spatial Organization. Polish Academy of Sciences, Maastricht-Warsaw-Freiburg, pp 69–90

    Google Scholar 

  • Błażejczyk K (2011) BioKlima—universal tool for bioclimatic and thermophysiological studies. http://www.igipz.pan.pl/Bioklima-zgik.html. Accessed 18 July 2015

  • Blazejczyk K, Epstein Y, Jendritzky G, Staiger H, Tinz B (2012) Comparison of UTCI to selected thermal indices. Int J Biometeorol 56:515–535. doi:10.1007/s00484-011-0453-2

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Blazejczyk K, Matzarakis A (2007) Assessment of bioclimatic differentiation of Poland based on the human heat balance. Geogr Pol 80:63–82

    Google Scholar 

  • Brode P, Fiala D, Blazejczyk K, Holmer I, Jendritzky G, Kampmann B, Tinz B, Havenith G (2012) Deriving the operational procedure for the Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI). Int J Biometeorol 56:481–494. doi:10.1007/s00484-011-0454-1

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brosy C, Zaninovic K, Matzarakis A (2014) Quantification of climate tourism potential of Croatia based on measured data and regional modeling. Int J Biometeorol 58:1369–1381. doi:10.1007/s00484-013-0738-8

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Butler R (1994) Seasonality in tourism: issues and problems. In: Seaton AV (ed) Tourism: the status of the art. Wiley, Chichester, pp 332–339

    Google Scholar 

  • Büttner K (1938) Physikalische Bioklimatologie. Akad Verlagsgesell, Leipzig

    Google Scholar 

  • Caliskan O, Cicek I, Matzarakis A (2012) The climate and bioclimate of Bursa (Turkey) from the perspective of tourism. Theor Appl Climatol 107:417–425. doi:10.1007/s00704-011-0489-6

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cheng V, Ng E, Chan C, Givoni B (2012) Outdoor thermal comfort study in a sub-tropical climate: a longitudinal study based in Hong Kong. Int J Biometeorol 56:43–56. doi:10.1007/s00484-010-0396-z

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cheung CSC, Hart MA (2014) Climate change and thermal comfort in Hong Kong. Int J Biometeorol 58:137–148. doi:10.1007/s00484-012-0608-9

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • China National Tourism Administration (2014) The yearbook of China tourism statistics (supp): 2013. China Tourism Press, Beijing (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Cuccia T, Rizzo I (2011) Tourism seasonality in cultural destination: empirical evidence from Sicily. Tour Manag 32:589–595

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • de Freitas CR (1990) Recreation climate assessment. Int J Climatol 10:89–103. doi:10.1002/joc.3370100110

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • de Freitas CR (2001) Theory, concepts and methods in climate tourism research. In: Matzarakis A, de Freitas CR (eds) Proceedings of the First International Workshop on Climate, Tourism and Recreation. pp 3–20

  • de Freitas CR (2003) Tourism climatology: evaluating environmental information for decision making and business planning in the recreation and tourism sector. Int J Biometeorol 48:45–54. doi:10.1007/s00484-003-0177-z

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • de Freitas CR, Scott D, McBoyle G (2008) A second generation climate index for tourism (CIT): specification and verification. Int J Biometeorol 52:399–407. doi:10.1007/s00484-007-0134-3

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dee D, Uppala S (2009) Variational bias correction in ERA-Interim. ECMWF Newsletter 119:21–29

    Google Scholar 

  • Dee DP et al (2011) The ERA-Interim reanalysis: configuration and performance of the data assimilation system. Q J Roy Meteorol Soc 137:553–597. doi:10.1002/qj.828

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ding Y, Wang S, Zheng J, Wang H, Yang X (2013) Climate in China. Science Press, Beijing (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Endler C, Matzarakis A (2011a) Climate and tourism in the Black Forest during the warm season. Int J Biometeorol 55:173–186. doi:10.1007/s00484-010-0323-3

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Endler C, Matzarakis A (2011b) Climatic potential for tourism in the Black Forest, Germany—winter season. Int J Biometeorol 55:339–351. doi:10.1007/s00484-010-0342-0

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Farajzadeh H, Matzarakis A (2012) Evaluation of thermal comfort conditions in Ourmieh Lake, Iran. Theor Appl Climatol 107:451–459. doi:10.1007/s00704-011-0492-y

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fiala D, Havenith G, Brode P, Kampmann B, Jendritzky G (2012) UTCI-Fiala multi-node model of human heat transfer and temperature regulation. Int J Biometeorol 56:429–441. doi:10.1007/s00484-011-0424-7

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fiala D, Lomas KJ, Stohrer M (1999) A computer model of human thermoregulation for a wide range of environmental conditions: the passive system. J Appl Physiol 87:1957–1972

    Google Scholar 

  • Fiala D, Lomas KJ, Stohrer M (2001) Computer prediction of human thermoregulatory and temperature responses to a wide range of environmental conditions. Int J Biometeorol 45:143–159. doi:10.1007/s004840100099

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Getz D, Nilsson A (2004) Responses of family businesses to extreme seasonality in demand: the case of Bornholm, Denmark. Tour Manag 25:17–30. doi:10.1016/S0261-5177(03)00067-0

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gómez Martín MB (2005) Weather, climate and tourism a geographical perspective. Ann Tour Res 32:571–591. doi:10.1016/j.annals.2004.08.004

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gonzalez RR, Nishi Y, Gagge AP (1974) Experimental evaluation of standard effective temperature: a new biometeorological index of man’s thermal discomfort. Int J Biometeorol 18:1–15

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gössling S, Scott D, Hall CM, Ceron J-P, Dubois G (2012) Consumer behaviour and demand response of tourists to climate change. Ann Tour Res 39:36–58. doi:10.1016/j.annals.2011.11.002

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Grigorieva E, Matzarakis A (2011) Physiologically equivalent temperature as a factor for tourism in extreme climate regions in the Russian far east: preliminary results. Eur J Tour Hosp Recreat 3:127–142

    Google Scholar 

  • Hamilton JM, Lau MA (2005) The role of climate information in tourist destination choice decision-making. In: Gössling S, Hall CM (eds) Tourism and global environmental change: ecological, social, economic and political interrelationships. Routledge, London, pp 229–250

    Google Scholar 

  • Havenith G, Fiala D, Blazejczyk K, Richards M, Brode P, Holmer I, Rintamaki H, Benshabat Y, Jendritzky G (2012) The UTCI-clothing model. Int J Biometeorol 56:461–470. doi:10.1007/s00484-011-0451-4

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hoppe P (1999) The physiological equivalent temperature—a universal index for the biometeorological assessment of the thermal environment. Int J Biometeorol 43:71–75

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jendritzky G, de Dear R, Havenith G (2012) UTCI—Why another thermal index? Int J Biometeorol 56:421–428. doi:10.1007/s00484-011-0513-7

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jendritzky G, Staiger H, Bucher K, Graetz A, Laschewski G (2000) The perceived temperature: the method of the Deutscher Wetterdienst for the assessment of cold stress and heat load for the human body. In: Proceedings of Internet Workshop on Windchill, 3–7 April 2000. Environment Canada, Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada

  • Keatinge WR, Donaldson GC (2004) The impact of global warming on health and mortality. South Med J 97:1093–1099. doi:10.1097/01.smj.0000144635.07975.66

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Koppe C, Jendritzky G (2005) Inclusion of short-term adaptation to thermal stresses in a heat load warning procedure. Meteorol Z 14:271–278. doi:10.1127/0941-2948/2005/0030

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Koppe C, Kovats S, Jendritzky G, Menne B (2004) Heat-waves: risks and responses. World Health Organization, Copenhagen, Denmark

    Google Scholar 

  • Lai DY, Guo DH, Hou YF, Lin CY, Chen QY (2014) Studies of outdoor thermal comfort in northern China. Build Environ 77:110–118. doi:10.1016/j.buildenv.2014.03.026

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li R, Chi X (2014) Thermal comfort and tourism climate changes in the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau in the last 50 years. Theor Appl Climatol 117:613–624. doi:10.1007/s00704-013-1027-5

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lin T, Hwang C, Cheng H (2006) The influence of climate information on travel arrangements. In: Proceedings of the 8th Leisure, Recreation and Tourism Research Symposium, Taipei, 7 October 2006 2006. Outdoor Recreation Association, Taipei, pp 120–126

  • Lin TP, Matzarakis A (2008) Tourism climate and thermal comfort in Sun Moon Lake, Taiwan. Int J Biometeorol 52:281–290. doi:10.1007/s00484-007-0122-7

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lin TP, Matzarakis A (2011) Tourism climate information based on human thermal perception in Taiwan and Eastern China. Tour Manag 32:492–500. doi:10.1016/j.tourman.2010.03.017

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Matzarakis A (2006) Weather- and climate-related information for tourism. Tour Hosp Plann Dev 3:99–115. doi:10.1080/14790530600938279

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Matzarakis A (2008) Relevance of thermal bioclimate for tourism in Japan. Glob Environ Res 12:129–136

    Google Scholar 

  • Matzarakis A, Hammerle M, Koch E, Rudel E (2012) The climate tourism potential of Alpine destinations using the example of Sonnblick, Rauris and Salzburg. Theor Appl Climatol 110:645–658. doi:10.1007/s00704-012-0686-y

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Matzarakis A, Rammelberg J, Junk J (2013) Assessment of thermal bioclimate and tourism climate potential for central Europe—the example of Luxembourg. Theor Appl Climatol 114:193–202. doi:10.1007/s00704-013-0835-y

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Matzarakis A, Rutz F, Mayer H (2010) Modelling radiation fluxes in simple and complex environments: basics of the RayMan model. Int J Biometeorol 54:131–139. doi:10.1007/s00484-009-0261-0

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mayer H, Höppe P (1987) Thermal comfort of man in different urban environments. Theor Appl Climatol 38:43–49. doi:10.1007/BF00866252

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nadal JR, Font AR, Rosselló AS (2004) The economic determinants of seasonal patterns. Ann Tour Res 31:697–711

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ng E, Cheng V (2012) Urban human thermal comfort in hot and humid Hong Kong. Energy Build 55:51–65. doi:10.1016/j.enbuild.2011.09.025

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Novak M (2013) Use of the UTCI in the Czech Republic. Geogr Pol 86:21–28. doi:10.7163/GPol.2013.3

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pappenberger F, Jendritzky G, Staiger H, Dutra E, Di Giuseppe F, Richardson DS, Cloke HL (2015) Global forecasting of thermal health hazards: the skill of probabilistic predictions of the Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI). Int J Biometeorol 59:311–323. doi:10.1007/s00484-014-0843-3

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Psikuta A, Fiala D, Laschewski G, Jendritzky G, Richards M, Blazejczyk K, Mekjavic I, Rintamanki H, de Dear R, Havenith G (2012) Validation of the Fiala multi-node thermophysiological model for UTCI application. Int J Biometeorol 56:443–460. doi:10.1007/s00484-011-0450-5

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shiue I, Matzarakis A (2011) Estimation of the tourism climate in the Hunter Region, Australia, in the early twenty-first century. Int J Biometeorol 55:565–574. doi:10.1007/s00484-010-0369-2

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Simmons A, Uppala S, Dee D, Kobayashi S (2006) ERA-interim: new ECMWF reanalysis products from 1989 onwards. ECMWF Newsletter 110:23–35

    Google Scholar 

  • Simpson MC, Gossling S, Scott D, Hall CM, Gladin E (2008) Climate change adaptation and mitigation in the tourism sector: frameworks, tools and practices. UNEP, University of Oxford, UNWTO, WMO, Paris, France

    Google Scholar 

  • Staiger H, Laschewski G, Gratz A (2012) The perceived temperature—a versatile index for the assessment of the human thermal environment. Part A: scientific basics. Int J Biometeorol 56:165–176. doi:10.1007/s00484-011-0409-6

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Uppala S, Dee D, Kobayashi S, Berrisford P, Simmons A (2008) Towards a climate data assimilation system: status up data of ERA-Interim. ECMWF Newsletter 115:12–18

    Google Scholar 

  • Vandentorren S, Bretin P, Zeghnoun A, Mandereau-Bruno L, Groisier A, Cochet C, Riberon J, Siberan I, Declercq B, Ledrans M (2006) August 2003 heat wave in France: risk factors for death of elderly people living at home. Eur J Public Health 16:583–591. doi:10.1093/eurpub/ckl063

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Weihs P, Staiger H, Tinz B, Batchvarova E, Rieder H, Vuilleumier L, Maturilli M, Jendritzky G (2012) The uncertainty of UTCI due to uncertainties in the determination of radiation fluxes derived from measured and observed meteorological data. Int J Biometeorol 56:537–555. doi:10.1007/s00484-011-0416-7

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wu B, Xu X (2010) Tourism-oriented Land Development (TOLD): a new pattern of tourism-real estate development in China. Tourism Tribune:34–38 (in Chinese)

  • Xi JC, Kong QQ, Wang XG (2015) Spatial polarization of villages in tourist destinations: a case study from Yesanpo, China. J Mt Sci 12:1038–1050. doi:10.1007/s11629-014-3358-9

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zaninović K, Matzarakis A (2009) The bioclimatological leaflet as a means conveying climatological information to tourists and the tourism industry. Int J Biometeorol 53:369–374. doi:10.1007/s00484-009-0219-2

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This work was supported by grants from the Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) (Grant No. XDA05080101).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Land Surface Pattern and Simulation, Institute of Geographical Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China

    Quansheng Ge, Qinqin Kong, Jianchao Xi & Jingyun Zheng

  2. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China

    Qinqin Kong

Authors
  1. Quansheng Ge
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Qinqin Kong
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Jianchao Xi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Jingyun Zheng
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Qinqin Kong.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Ge, Q., Kong, Q., Xi, J. et al. Application of UTCI in China from tourism perspective. Theor Appl Climatol 128, 551–561 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00704-016-1731-z

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00704-016-1731-z

Keywords

Search

Navigation