Attractions have now urged the Met Office, government and major weather app developers to explore practical improvements.
They suggest separate daytime and overnight weather icons, clearer written summaries such as “showers early, brighter later” and indicators showing the proportion of expected dry hours.
Olly Reed, marketing director at tourism consultancy Navigate, which works with more than 50 UK visitor attractions, said it tracked attendance patterns against forecast weather data.
He said: “The picture is consistent – when an unfavourable weather icon appears, visits can drop by an average of around 30%.
“This is reflective of analysis across a diverse portfolio of heritage sites, gardens, zoos and theme parks.
“Bookings don’t just shift with the weather itself, they shift with how that weather is framed.
“In a sector driven by spontaneity, small design choices in forecast presentation can have disproportionate economic consequences.”