Tourism Mobilities, Climate and Cultural Change

This chapter illustrates some of the main findings of the research that was conducted by the WP6 (Genoa Unit) within the European 7th F.P.—Project “MEDCHANGe” in Marrakesh between the Spring of 2014 and the Winter of 2015. We assumed that Morocco was an interesting fieldwork to investigate the relationships between tourism, culture, subjective expectations and climate. Those relationships have been mostly investigated from the perspective of their contribution in the tourist supply. The aim of the research is to deepen the understanding of the relationship between the perception on the weather conditions and psychological and cultural factors. The methodology of our study is based on: (a) a survey that was carried out by the administration of a questionnaire to a sample of European tourists in Marrakech; (b) the calculation of both the standard “objective” indices normally used in the literature resorting to the specific programme “RayMan” and new subjective indices. The research could help to verify how the subjective perception of the weather conditions may depend on cultural factors, the country of origin, the motivations for travelling, the “climatic” image of the locality in which the tourist stays and its responsiveness to the actual weather conditions encountered at different times of the year, in turn probably correlated with individual and social habits and previous experiences.