Shift Happens
Why your favourite beach holiday destination is disappearing
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On Dimakya Island in Palawan, Philippines, Discovery Coron resort is relocating its beachfront villas farther inland.
PHOTO: DISCOVERY CORON
- Climate change rapidly accelerates coastal erosion, threatening half the world's sandy beaches and major tourism destinations by the century's end.
- Resorts face shrinking shorelines, unpredictable weather, and costly infrastructure relocation to adapt, potentially passing these sustainability costs onto travellers.
- Hybrid solutions combining engineered defences with nature-based methods are crucial. Incremental builds amortise costs, requiring swift adoption by private operators.
AI generated
SINGAPORE – Your favourite beach vacation spot is disappearing and the tourism industry is being forced to adapt to a new, unstable reality.
Around half of the world’s sandy beaches are at risk of being lost to coastal erosion by the end of the century, a stark reminder of how climate change is reshaping some of the planet’s most treasured coastlines.

