Outdoor Thermal Comfort and Microclimate Adaptation in Coastal Tourism: Evidence from Indonesia
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31272/jeasd.3875Keywords:
Coastal tourism, Outdoor Thermal Comfort, Physiological Equivalent Temperature, Thermal sensation, Universal Thermal Climate IndexAbstract
Outdoor thermal comfort (OTC) has become a crucial topic, particularly due to global warming and growing public interest in outdoor tourism. This study evaluated OTC conditions at Lampuuk Beach, Aceh Besar Regency, Indonesia, using field measurements of climate parameters and a visitor thermal perception survey conducted over three days in May 2023. A total of 288 respondents participated, while air temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, and solar radiation were simultaneously recorded. The findings indicated that most visitors experienced moderate-to-severe heat stress, with thermal sensation ratings predominantly ranging from warm to hot. Nevertheless, more than 50% of respondents considered the conditions acceptable or comfortable, suggesting relatively high thermal adaptation to tropical outdoor environments. Among the evaluated parameters, air temperature was the dominant factor influencing thermal comfort indices. Physiological Equivalent Temperature (PET) showed a stronger correlation with thermal sensation and Predicted Mean Vote (PMV) than Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI), indicating its suitability for assessing outdoor thermal comfort in tropical coastal environments. The findings highlight the thermal tolerance of people living in warm-humid climates and provide useful insights for improving outdoor thermal comfort in tourism areas under rising temperatures.
References
E. S. Darbani, M. Rafieian, D. M. Parapari, and J.-M. Guldmann, “Urban design strategies for summer and winter outdoor thermal comfort in arid regions: The case of historical, contemporary and modern urban areas in Mashhad, Iran,” Sustainable Cities and Society, vol. 89, Art. no. 104339, Feb. 2023. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.2022.104339.
M. Santamouris, “Recent progress on urban overheating and heat island research: Integrated assessment of the energy, environmental, vulnerability and health impact—Synergies with global climate change,” Energy and Buildings, vol. 207, Art. no. 109482, Jan. 2020. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2019.109482.
C. Turhan, A. S. Atalay, and G. Gokcen Akkurt, “An integrated decision-making framework for mitigating the impact of urban heat islands on energy consumption and thermal comfort of residential buildings,” Sustainability, vol. 15, no. 12, Art. no. 9674, Jun. 2023. doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/su15129674.
R. Caro-Carretero and S. Monroy-Rodríguez, “Residents’ perceptions of tourism and sustainable tourism management: Planning to prevent future problems in destination management—The case of Cáceres, Spain,” Cogent Social Sciences, vol. 11, no. 1, Art. no. 2447398, 2025. doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/23311886.2024.2447398.
H. Lamhamedi, S. Lizin, N. Witters, R. Malina, and A. Baguare, “The recreational value of a peri-urban forest in Morocco,” Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, vol. 65, Art. no. 127339, Nov. 2021. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ufug.2021.127339.
L. Zhang et al., “Outdoor thermal comfort of urban park—A case study,” Sustainability, vol. 12, no. 5, Art. no. 1961, Mar. 2020. doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/su12051961.
A. McCreary, E. Seekamp, L. R. Larson, J. W. Smith, and M. A. Davenport, “Climate change and nature-based tourism: How do different types of visitors respond?,” Tourism Planning & Development, vol. 21, no. 1, pp. 1–19, 2024. doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/21568316.2020.1861079.
W. Sadakorn, S. Tetiranont, L. Prasittisopin, and S. Kaewunruen, “Assessing thermal comfort in hot and humid (tropical) climates: Urban outdoor and semi-outdoor conditions in waiting areas of railway stations,” Building and Environment, vol. 267, Art. no. 112240, Jan. 2025. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2024.112240.
F. Goltenboth, K. H. Timotius, P.P. Milan, and J. Margraf, Ecology of insular Southeast Asia: the Indonesian archipelago. Elsevier, 2006. ISBN-13: 878-0-444-52739-4.
E. D. Pulungan, “From archipelago to maritime hub: Indonesia’s quest to become the world’s new maritime axis,” Jurnal Ilmiah Ilmu Sosial, vol. 10, no. 2, pp. 106–117, Dec. 2024. doi: https://doi.org/10.23887/jiis.v10i2.78631.
K. Khairunsurya, I. Izziah, and Y. Darma, “Identifikasi karakteristik wisatawan di kawasan Pantai Lampuuk,” Jurnal Arsip Rekayasa Sipil dan Perencanaan, vol. 2, no. 1, pp. 87–94, 2019. doi: https://doi.org/10.24815/jarsp.v2i1.13209.
R. Aghamolaei, M. M. Azizi, B. Aminzadeh, & J. O’Donnell, J, “A comprehensive review of outdoor thermal comfort in urban areas: Effective parameters and approach,” Energy & Environment, 34, no 6, pp. 2204-2227. 2023. doi: https://doi.org/10.1177/0958305X221116176
L. Chen and E. Ng, “Outdoor thermal comfort and outdoor activities: A review of research in the past decade,” Cities, vol. 29, no. 2, pp. 118–125, Apr. 2012. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2011.08.006.
M. M. Baruti, E. Johansson, and J. Åstrand, “Review of studies on outdoor thermal comfort in warm humid climates: Challenges of informal urban fabric,” International Journal of Biometeorology, vol. 63, no. 10, pp. 1449–1462, Oct. 2019. doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00484-019-01757-3.
J. Brozovsky, S. Corio, N. Gaitani, and A. Gustavsen, “Evaluation of sustainable strategies and design solutions at high-latitude urban settlements to enhance outdoor thermal comfort,” Energy and Buildings, vol. 244, Art. no. 111037, Aug. 2021. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2021.111037.
H. S. Lopes, P. C. Remoaldo, V. Ribeiro, and J. Martín-Vide, “Perceptions of human thermal comfort in an urban tourism destination—A case study of Porto (Portugal),” Building and Environment, vol. 205, Art. no. 108246, Nov. 2021. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2021.108246.
C. Shang, X. Huang, Y. Zhang, and M. Chen, “Outdoor thermal comfort in a tropical coastal tourist resort in Haikou, China,” Indoor and Built Environment, vol. 29, no. 5, pp. 730–745, Jun. 2020. doi: https://doi.org/10.1177/1420326X19862337.
S. I. U. H. Gilani, M. H. Khan, and W. Pao, “Thermal comfort analysis of PMV model prediction in air-conditioned and naturally ventilated buildings,” Energy Procedia, vol. 75, pp. 1373–1379, 2015. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.egypro.2015.07.218.
F. Nasrollahi and R. de Dear, “Application of adaptive thermal comfort in mechanically conditioned learning environments in Berlin, Germany,” Building and Environment, vol. 296, Art. no. 114493, May 2026. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2026.114493.
K. Pantavou, V. Kotroni, K. Lagouvardos, and P. Kyriakou, “Future changes of bioclimate in Greece: Variations in thermal stress according to the Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI),” Science of the Total Environment, vol. 980, Art. no. 179514, 2025. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2025.179514.
S. Zare, N. Hasheminejad, H. E. Shirvan, R. Hemmatjo, K. Sarebanzadeh, and S. Ahmadi, “Comparing Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI) with selected thermal indices/environmental parameters during 12 months of the year,” Weather and Climate Extremes, vol. 19, pp. 49–57, Mar. 2018. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wace.2018.01.004.
Z. Bromberek, “Eco-resorts in tropical coasts: Design and comfort,” Open House International, vol. 32, no. 4, pp. 23–32, Dec. 2007. doi: https://doi.org/10.1108/OHI-04-2007-B0003.
M. Nikolopoulou, N. Baker, and K. Steemers, “Thermal comfort in outdoor urban spaces: Understanding the human parameter,” Solar Energy, vol. 70, no. 3, pp. 227–235, 2001. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0038-092X(00)00093-1.
Y. Xu, L. Tian, T. Cui, J. Zhang, H. Zhang, Y. Wang, and R. Wang, “Spatiotemporal characteristics of Universal Thermal Climate Index during five-year return period extreme heat events in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei region,” Atmospheric and Oceanic Science Letters, vol. 18, no. 3, Art. no. 100612, 2025. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aosl.2025.100612.
J. Jiang, F. Liu, Z. Jiang, J. Zhang, and C. Ma, “Experimental evaluation of short-term thermal experiences on students’ thermal comfort and cognitive performance,” Building and Environment, vol. 285, Art. no. 113613, 2025. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2025.113613.
Z. Fang, J. Wu, N. Gao, and X. Feng, “Quantifying human heat exchange modes and their impacts on thermal sensation across seasonal outdoor environments,” Urban Climate, vol. 61, Art. no. 102419, 2025. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.uclim.2025.102419.
E. N. Rauzi and F. Aulia, “Designing resilient coastal tourismities based on landscape characteristics and local wisdom,” Planning Malaysia, vol. 20, no. 3, pp. 1–13, 2022. doi: https://doi.org/10.21837/pm.v20i22.1122.
Weather Spark, “Climate and average weather year round in Lampuuk, Indonesia.” Accessed: May 13, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://weatherspark.com/y/112350/Average-Weather-in-Lampuuk-Indonesia-Year-Round
L. H. Sari, M. L. Ghassan, and A. Munir, “Air movement to remove barriers and provide thermal comfort in the Global South: A case study of a classroom in the warm humid tropics, Banda Aceh, Indonesia,” in Removing Barriers to Environmental Comfort in the Global South, L. Marín-Restrepo, A. Pérez-Fargallo, M. B. Piderit-Moreno, M. Trebilcock-Kelly, and P. Wegertseder-Martínez, Eds. Cham, Switzerland: Springer, 2023, pp. 59–71. doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-24208-3_5.
Downloads
Key Dates
Received
Revised
Accepted
Published Online First
Issue
Section
License
