There is consensus that weather and climate are intrinsically important for holiday decision-making, and that changes in weather patterns due to climate change will have widespread consequences for tourism demand. However, very little is known about the implications of extreme weather events for the understanding of the suitability of destinations for holiday-making and future travel behavior. This study has confirmed some of the results of earlier studies and identified a number of new interrelationships. First of all, differences between repeat and first-time visitors have been confirmed, in the sense that repeat visitors are more resilient to weather extremes, as ‘weather’ loses importance with continued visitation. Considerable differences exist between tourists, however, as individual traveler personalities will negotiate of what constitutes ‘bad’ weather and in different ways. Extreme events do, however, also affect continued visitation: in this specific case study, some 17% of respondents stated that they would not return to Martinique because of the experienced weather situation. This indicates a significant vulnerability of sun, sand and sea destinations to weather extremes. Further research is required, however, to confirm that such notions are lasting, or if they can be further reinforced by recurring extreme events.
Novel insights from the study indicate complex interrelationships with regard to information sources for weather versus climate change, the understanding of climate change as a factor in extreme weather situations, and mechanisms to rationalize in-situ experiences. Depending on the general perception of climate change as a reality, visitors may interpret extreme weather as confirming previously held beliefs, or rationalize experiences as ‘unusual’ one-off events. Nevertheless, for climate change deniers, extreme weather events demand confrontation with the possibility of climate change to be ongoing. With further evidence of climate change to emerge in the future, such events will be increasingly difficult to rationalize. The role of the media is important in this context, as the Internet is the most important information source for climate change information, though this medium has the lowest credibility with regard to the validity of the information presented. Destinations affected by climate change consequently need to consider the role of various media sources in shaping the understanding of the destination's climate and weather. Further studies are warranted to explore these interrelationships, also with regard to other weather parameters.