Global Warming as a Driver of Change in Alpine Skiing Areas

The paper is part of the debate concerning the impact of Global Warming (GW) on winter tourism and aims to verify the awareness of primary stakeholders of GW changes and the presence of innovative strategies classifiable in terms of change management (technological and behavioural adaptation). The research concerns cableway associations of the Trentino (Dolomite region) and consists of desk analysis and field research. It shows the awareness of cableway operators of the effects of GW but their path dependence to traditional technological responses. The inadequacy of these responses in the light of the OECD scenario, requires to develop innovative strategic solutions in terms of behavioural adaptation, identifying and overcoming the barriers to change as sector specific investments, managerial culture, power of the cableway operators and the role of the public entity in sustaining the sector.