Abstract:
Hailstorm research in tourism remains scant despite growing evidence of increasing hailstorms and associated
damages to destinations and attractions due to climate change. This study examined hailstorm occurrence, damage
and loss, preparedness and adaptation, recovery and resilience resilience-building at the Sun City Resort in South
Africa. Data was collected from a staff survey (n=131), staff interviews, guest comments, and relevant Sun City
Resort secondary documentation such as storm recovery and annual reports. It emerged that the 2018 hailstorm
caused significant damages, yet no effective early warning systems were in place. This led to significant economic
and non-economic losses, such as damage to infrastructure, cancelled activities and negative publicity. There was
also no long-term strategy towards hailstorm resilience, with the resort adopting a reactive rather than proactive
approach. The study contributes to climate change-induced hailstorm research in tourism while informing tourism
destination resilience-building practices. Suggestions are made linked to building back and forth better in terms
of hailstorm risk preparedness by the Sun City Resort.
