Alps making the most of climate change

But Schobersberger acknowledged it will take long-term strategies — not just ideas — to be successful.

"The problem is that right now, tourism is still thinking about tomorrow, not the day after tomorrow," he said.

Regula Imhof, vice secretary general in the permanent secretariat of the Alpine Convention, an international agreement on the protection and sustainable development of the region, concedes some are reluctant to look beyond the traditional skiing industry for ways to create a sustainable future for the Alps.

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"Some people will hold on until it's just not possible anymore," Imhof said.

Even so, the days of winter tourism aren't over.

Skiing will simply become more concentrated in certain areas, said Shardul Agrawala, principal economist on climate change at the OECD and editor of the organization's recent Alps report.

And in coming years, not all corners of the Alps will be affected in the same way, Elsasser added. Above around 8,200 feet, it may even snow more than it does now, he said, though that would also increase the avalanche risk.

"One has to maybe think of climate change as less of a threat for tourism but as a challenge. Panic is uncalled for," Elsasser said, adding more should be done to inform tourists of their impact on climate change.

He and Price point to initiatives such as "Keep Winter Cool," a U.S. partnership of the Natural Resources Defense Council and the National Ski Areas Association aimed at raising visibility and public understanding of global warming and highlighting options to tackle it.

"We have to emphasize that this is not a one-way street but that tourism also makes a major contribution to climate change, in particular through tourism traffic," Elsasser said.

Warming isn't the only worry. Experts also warn that the future of tourism in the Alps could be affected by competition from corners of the Balkans and the Caucasus, and they say Europe's aging population will ski less.

So far, they say, studies suggest summer alternatives alone cannot outweigh winter losses, and the Alps will have to compete with places like Scotland or Scandinavia for offseason visitors.

Climate change also risks bedeviling summer tourism by melting glaciers, ice caves and the few remaining venues for summertime skiing, the OECD says.

The trick, Price says, may be to identify a unique selling point — preferably something that will lure people year-round.

"Lots of tourists like to eat local produce," he said. And warmer conditions might prolong the Alpine growing season, perhaps enough to grow more food at higher elevations than in years past, provided there's enough water.

"Climate change isn't all bad," he said.

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