Tourist Hotspots at Risk of Closure

Some of the world's most famous tourist attractions, such as Australia's Great Barrier Reef and Italy's Amalfi coast, could be closed to visitors within a few years because of worries about environmental damage and climate change, a report warns today.

Some destinations could be permanently closed to tourists by 2020 or face restrictions on numbers and a sharp increase in admission prices, the study, carried out for the insurance company Churchill, predicts.

It warns that in 20-40 years' time the Great Barrier Reef could be "severely damaged", forcing its closure, while other parts of Australia would be off-limits because of a rise in bushfires and insect-borne diseases. Other affected destinations include the Taj coral reef in the Maldives, Goa in India, Florida's Everglades and Croatia's Dalmatian coastline.

The report says coastal attractions are particularly vulnerable. "Many resorts will run the risk of damage severe enough to put their long-term viability as destinations in doubt."

Closer to home, hotter summers, colder winters, rising sea levels and extreme weather could lead to the end of the Scottish skiing industry and put golfing holidays at risk.