Climate is an important tourism resource, with many activities being sensitive to weather conditions (Moreno and Becken, 2009:474). Most of Oceania lies within the equatorial and tropical belts of the world, making it particularly suitable for beach tourism (Craig-Smith, 2005:355). The image of ‘sand, sea, sun and surf’ has been imprinted onto tourists’ minds for decades (Cooper and Hall, 2005:165). However, although this perception holds true for some parts of the region, there are also opportunities for alternate types of tourism, for example snow based tourism in the southern parts of Australia and New Zealand during winter.
Most of the Pacific islands have a tropical humid climate, characterised by abundant rainfall and strong solar radiation (Boniface and Cooper, 2012:528). Highest activity for domestic and inbound tourism is from mid-December to the end of January (Cooper, et al., 2012, 475). This is largely dominated by the Northern hemisphere’s seasons, with tourists seeking to escape harsh winters. Unlike other world regions, due to the climate in Oceania, seasonality is not of major concern for tourism; however periods of travel can be affected by cyclone and wet seasons.
Coastal areas are particularly vulnerable to climate change (Moreno and Becken, 2009:473), making Oceania highly sensitive. While increased temperatures may seem beneficial to tourists, in Oceania there is limited tolerance for further temperature rise (Craig-Smith, 2005, 355). Furthermore, climate change does not only affect the temperature: air pressure and wind patterns are also affected with significant impacts on tourism (Craig-Smith, 2005, 355). A major concern is the increase in severe climate effects such as tropical cyclones, droughts and increasing sea temperatures and levels, which can lead to coastal erosion, water shortages and coral bleaching (Moreno and Becken, 2009). This threatens the sustainability of tourism activities and should therefore be managed appropriately (Moreno and Becken, 2009: 484).