Preventing tourists from canceling in times of crises

•Unpredictable crises can lead to dramatic demand drops at tourist destinations.•Destinations can take action to prevent travel cancelations.•Changing and upgrading accommodation is the most effective approach.•Effectiveness of approaches varies across crises and tourist segments.

Tourism destinations experiencing a crisis are vulnerable to trip cancelations and sudden drops in demand. Little is known about trip cancelations and how to prevent them. Specifically, it is unclear whether the effectiveness of different prevention approaches varies across crises and tourists segments. Using a conjoint design, the present study investigates the comparative stated effectiveness of different prevention approaches in situations where different crises hit a destination. Results indicate that certain prevention actions indeed have the potential to reduce cancelations. The most effective approach is change of accommodation—especially so when combined with an upgrade—followed by information updates and finally the provision of security devices or security staff. The effectiveness of approaches varies across tourists and crises.