Peace of mind: Australian tourists' willingness to pay to be protected from climate risks at their holiday destination

Mitigating climate risks at tourist destinations requires investments that benefit visitors and local communities alike. Drawing on Protection Motivation Theory and a choice experiment with 2278 Australian adults, we find that 74% of respondents are willing to pay for climate protection policies at their next intended destination. Tourists planning nature-based outdoor trips are most willing to pay, while those visiting friends or relatives show the lowest general willingness, in particular for heat mitigation and early-warnings. On average, respondents would pay approximately AU$30 (€18) extra per trip for a safety package covering wildfire and flood protection, heat mitigation and automated early warning systems. Applied conservatively across Australia's 115 million annual domestic overnight trips, this represents a potential funding pool exceeding AU$1.7 billion per year for improving climate adaptation and building resilience at destinations. Nature-based and beach tourists show the highest willingness-to-pay for wildfire and flood protection, while city and beach tourists especially value heat mitigation and automated early warning systems. Coping appraisal, rather than threat perception, is the primary driver of these preferences, and the destination, whether overseas or domestic, plays only a minor role. The findings provide a quantitative basis for visitor co-funded adaptation strategies that could protect tourist safety, sustain the outdoor recreation economy and improve the long-term resilience and attractiveness of Australia's most climate exposed destinations.