South Africa has been facing extreme weather events in recent months, such as floods and a rare tornado in KwaZulu-Natal, floods in the Eastern Cape, and mid-latitude cyclones in the Western Cape. These severe storms are predicted to disrupt tourism, according to Kaitano Dube, a human geographer specializing in tourism, extreme weather, and resilience to climatic threats. The increase in carbon emissions has led to a rise in global temperatures, a major contributor to climate change. Record high temperatures have been observed in the past two years, particularly in 2024, leading to a rise in extreme weather events globally.
Coastal areas in South Africa, especially the coastal provinces, have been heavily impacted by extreme weather events, causing significant damage to tourism infrastructure. The KwaZulu-Natal floods in April 2022, worsened by climate change, resulted in the deaths of 435 people and were the most catastrophic in the province’s history. Economic losses in the tourism sector have been substantial, with damage to guest houses, hotels, and other tourism ventures. In KwaZulu-Natal alone, the 2022 floods caused an estimated R7 billion worth of damage to numerous companies, affecting tourism operations significantly.
Extreme weather events have also affected inland provinces like Mpumalanga and iconic sites such as the Kruger National Park. Droughts and floods have devastated tourism infrastructure in these areas. The rise in sea levels and tides pose a significant threat to coastal tourism, with flooding events becoming more frequent. Coastal national parks like the Garden Route National Park are particularly vulnerable to the impacts of rising sea levels and surges.
To prevent further damage to tourism from extreme weather events, there is a need to strengthen and adapt tourism infrastructure along the coastline. Building codes should be adjusted to account for new climate scenarios, and early warning systems must be in place to reduce losses. Implementing disaster and business insurance for tourism ventures can help in recovery from climate disasters. Policies and technology focused on building climate change resilience are essential for the future of South Africa’s tourism industry.