Whether it’s Mexican coastlines plagued with smelly seaweed, the disappearing beach at the Grand Cayman Marriott Resort, or the U.S.-Europe culture war over AC as temperatures soar, one thing is clear: climate change is making travel miserable.

These are the experiences through which climate change creeps into conversations — and why operators and owners must now treat it as a serious risk. Some 32% of travelers list the impacts of climate change as a top concern for 2026, according to Skift’s latest State of Travel report.

Environmental sustainability and overcrowding make the list too, and though usually discussed separately, they’re inherently intertwined. As the report notes: “Mass demand inevitably destroys the product it came for. Travelers now view authenticity and sustainability together, looking for experiences that feel real and preserved instead of produced for the masses.”

But will people pay for it? Perhaps not. As Skift Research’s Robin Gilbert-Jones wrote last month, only 24% of travelers will make trade-offs for sustainability, and 32% will choose it only if it’s the same price and convenient.

So who foots the bill? Work is being done but it’s often in industry silos, if not individually. Calls for more collaboration have come up repeatedly in conversations with sources over the past few weeks, through budgets, data-sharing, and adaptation plans. 

Look at sargassum, the seaweed washing ashore across the Caribbean. Mexico will now spend $115 million fighting it, as I reported last month, adding national support to a problem that’s largely been left to people on the ground. Hotels have been hands-on in Quintana Roo, where they spent over 2.7 billion pesos ($159 million) clearing beaches in 2025.

Even with government money now in play, there’s friction over how the problem gets tackled: cosmetically or structurally? The vast quantity of sargassum washing ashore is usually traced to warmer oceans stemming from climate change and nutrient pollution.

If anything, this summer’s chaos is evidence that the industry has to adapt. Beachfront operators betting on the current model will keep losing to climate change. After all, no one wants a sargassum-laden beach, a corroded coastline, or a sweaty Airbnb.

Check out my full reporting over at Skift, and, as ever, feel free to say hi at [email protected].