Study: Extreme Weather Is Making Travelers Change Plans

If you’ve found yourself thinking twice about taking trips to certain destinations because of their potential for extreme weather events, you are not alone. A new report from World Travel Market and Tourism Economics found that over the past year, 29% of the tourists surveyed have rejected a destination on the basis of its inclement or extreme weather.

And the number is highest for one age group in particular: Generation Z. According to the report, 43% of travelers aged between 18 and 34 have avoided destinations exposed to extreme weather.

T​he report uses the concept of "outdoor days" proposed by MIT researchers in March 2024, as a way of looking at what areas have comfortable weather. "Outdoor days" are defined by the MIT researchers as "the number of days per year that outdoor temperatures are neither too hot nor too cold for people to go about normal outdoor activities, whether work or leisure, in reasonable comfort," and are seen as a way of quantifying how climate change impacts different areas disproportionally.

According to the WTM study, destinations like Thailand could see 55 fewer outdoor days by 2100, while Canada could see 23 more. The study goes on to point out that evidence indicates that extreme weather events are expected to become both more prevalent and more widespread as the climate continues to warm.