Abstract

Climate change presents a range of challenges for the tourism industry. Rising temperatures and changes in humidity and precipitation pose significant threats to the snow-based tourism industry and exacerbate its vulnerability to climate change in the long term. However, in the short term the differences between anticipated and experienced weather and the day-to-day variability thereof, can have a significant impact on tourist enjoyment of the destination and their likelihood to return. This has the potential to compromise the economic stability of the enterprise long before climate change yields snow production unaffordable. This study investigates the climatic sensitivity and experiences of weather among tourists who have travelled to the Afriski resort in Lesotho through an analysis of TripAdvisor reviews for the operation. The reviews highlight the importance of artificial snow production and a diversification of tourist activities, and the importance of snow and cold temperature to the tourist experience.