Palm trees, energy security and green hydrogen futures: Tourists' views on Mallorca's low carbon transition

Abstract

The development of green hydrogen can provide a welcome boost in energy security, particularly for island nations that may be reliant on energy imports or intermittent renewables as part of their energy transition. However, the expansion of a green hydrogen economy may have social, environmental and economic impacts on tourism-reliant islands, which may not be accounted for using typical market assessments. In this study, focus groups and an online choice experiment survey are conducted with recent international tourists to Mallorca, Spain, to elicit preferences for green hydrogen infrastructure, including the visual and biodiversity impacts, potential for export, and the value for the provision of additional local and tourism benefits. The results indicate generally positive attitudes to the development of green hydrogen in Mallorca, however respondents indicate significant disutility associated with high visual impact of green hydrogen infrastructure, with the exception of respondents that have previous experience with hydrogen transport. In general, respondents favour policies that do not negatively impact biodiversity, value restrictions on exports to enhance energy security on the island and are willing to pay to support green hydrogen development in Mallorca which provides benefits to tourism and local residents.