Abstract
Climate change presents a range of challenges for the tourism industry. Rising
temperatures and changes in humidity and precipitation pose significant threats to the snow-based
tourism industry which exacerbate its vulnerability to climate change in the long term. However, in the
short term the differences between anticipated and experienced weather as well as the day-to-day
variability thereof, can have a significant impact on tourist enjoyment of the destination and their
likelihood to return. This has the potential to compromise the economic stability of the enterprise long
before climate change yields snow production unaffordable. This study investigates the climatic
sensitivity and experiences of weather among tourists who have travelled to the Afriski resort in Lesotho
through an analysis of TripAdvisor reviews for the operation. The reviews highlight the importance of
snow and cold temperatures on the tourist experience as well as reflects on the recommendation of
artificial snow production and a diversification of tourist activities.