Hailstorms Damage and Resilience-Building in South Africa’s Key Tourism Destinations and Attractions

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.