Analysis of tourists' perceptions regarding the weather influence in Cantabria based on TripAdvisor reviews

Tourism has grown in recent years and now involves one sixth of the world's population. However, its dynamics are subject to many economic, social, political and environmental factors. Although the role of weather in the tourist experience is widely recognised, this issue has become increasingly important in recent years as the sector faces the impacts of anthropogenic climate change. Tourist perceptions are important in understanding these impacts. Ratings and reviews shared on websites, social networks and tourism comparison platforms are a useful way of understanding the impact of weather and climate on public perceptions and individual satisfaction.

The aim of this study is to investigate tourists' weather preferences in three of the most visited tourist facilities in Cantabria (northern Spain). First, all TripAdvisor reviews for these facilities were systematically downloaded using automated web scraping techniques. Next, all comments containing information or references were filtered using libraries of weather and climate terms. Finally, the comments were categorised according to the conditions expressed.

Tourists visiting the Cabárceno Nature Park prefer cooler and cloudier days. As most of the activities take place outdoors and usually last several hours, they need to protect themselves from the heat and high levels of radiation. Opinions on rainfall are divided between those who consider it a negative factor and those who appreciate it, while most visitors consider wind to be a negative factor. On the other hand, tourists prefer clear skies at Fuente Dé, as it is a well-known mountain viewpoint. In addition, high temperatures are considered a positive factor almost all year round, while low temperatures are avoided. Rain and wind are generally perceived as negative factors, but usually only for short treks. In Altamira, the influence of the weather is much less obvious, and the only meteor mentioned is rain, but there is no consensus, since for some people rainy days are ideal for visiting the museum, if they don't have to wait in the rain and get wet.

The perception of the weather and its influence on tourism is important and must be considered in the coming years. However, the analysis must be carried out separately for each destination and each type of tourism. Nevertheless, it should be borne in mind that opinions may differ and be partial and therefore need to be critically analysed and combined with local surveys and frequentation data.