Tourism is a major sector of the global economy, and it is strongly influenced by climate. At some travel destinations, climate represents the natural resource on which the tourism industry is predicated. Global climate change has the potential to alter the distribution of climate assets among tourism destinations, with implications for tourism seasonality, demand and travel patterns. Changes in the length and quality of the tourism season have considerable implications for the long-term profitability of tourism enterprises and competitive relationships between destinations. This analysis utilizes a 'tourism climate index' (TCI) that incorporates 7 climate variables relevant to general tourism activities (i.e. sightseeing) to assess the spatial and temporal distribution of climate resources for tourism in North America under baseline conditions and 2 climate change scenarios (CGCM2-B2 and HadCM3-A1F1) for the 2050s and 2080s. The analysis found that a substantive redistribution of climate resources for tourism will be possible in the later decades of the 21st century, particularly in the warmer and wetter HadCM3-A1F1 scenario. The number of cities in the USA with 'excellent' or 'ideal' TCI ratings (TCI > 80) in the winter months is likely to increase, so that southern Florida and Arizona could face increasing competition for winter sun holiday travelers and the seasonal 'snowbird' market (retirees from Canada and the northern states of the USA, who spend 2 to 6 mo in winter peak and optimal climate destinations). In contrast, lower winter TCI ratings in Mexico suggest it could become less competitive as a winter sun holiday destination. In Canada, a longer and improved warm-weather tourism season may enhance its competitiveness in the international tourism marketplace, with potentially positive implications for its current international tourism account deficit. KEY WORDS: Tourism · Tourism climate index · Climate change · North America Resale or republication not permitted without written consent of the publisherClim Res 27: [105][106][107][108][109][110][111][112][113][114][115][116][117] 2004 snow cover for skiing). A 1°C warmer than average summer season was found to increase domestic tourism expenditures in Canada by 4% (Wilton & Wirjanto 1998). Similar patterns were observed in the UK during unusually warm summers (Giles & Perry 1998). Agnew (1995) also found that in the UK, tourism spending abroad increased following a cold winter. Giles & Perry (1998) found that the exceptional summer of 1995 in the UK had the opposite effect, resulting in a drop in outbound tourism.Climate is both a 'push' and a 'pull' factor in tourism and for some destinations, represents the primary resource on which tourism is predicated. 'Escaping winter weather' was a prime travel motivation for 23% of Canadian respondents (OMTR 2002). Jorgensen & Solvoll (1996) estimated that 84% of tour charters from Norway were to 'sun destinations.' An annual survey of German traveller behaviour and tourism-related attitudes reve...