Climate councillor Professor Lesley Hughes warned that worsening extreme weather, driven by climate change, was altering the Australian summer experience.
“More intense and frequent unnatural disasters are turning Australian summers from a season of joy to a season of dread,” Hughes said.
When disaster strikes, tourism operators’ profits wash away along with their bookings.Credit: Joe Armao
“Families know their plans are increasingly at risk from floods, storms, heatwaves, or bushfires.”
The Climate Council’s analysis predicts a challenging summer for 2024-2025, with a hot and wet outlook for December.
The Bureau of Meteorology is forecasting unusually high rainfall for parts of Queensland, NSW, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia, and Western Australia.
This is coupled with the risk of tropical cyclones in the north and fire hotspots in the south.
The tropical holiday hotspot of Cairns is prone to its fair share of natural disasters.
“There’s also the likelihood of hotter-than-average days and nights,” Hughes added.
“This makes it harder to know where the safest, least-impacted place will be for a family holiday.”
To adapt, many Australians are shifting their holiday plans. Avoiding bush camping and inland travel are common strategies, as people seek to minimise risks.
But the only way to mitigate the problem of tourism hesitancy is to take urgent action on climate change, Hughes said.
“To avoid even greater summer holiday disruption in the future, it’s critical we slash climate pollution this decade,” she said.
AAP
