The current refugee crisis has broad ramifications for societies. In the domain of tourism, such socio-political or human-made disasters raise questions about security, but may also affect perceptions of a destination's openness and hospitality. This paper discusses the relative importance of security and openness in terms of destination image and the willingness to visit a place affected by the refugee crisis. In an online scenario study, we studied these effects and explored country differences for four different countries (Austria, Germany, UK and USA; N = 2612) in this regards. Our results show that the perceived security of a place becomes a stronger predictor for destination choice during a crisis. Yet, contrary to our assumption, a crisis decreases the importance of a place's perceived openness. Thus, our study raises doubts that the refugee crisis benefits tourism by providing an opportunity to show openness and hospitality – as some researchers and practitioners had hoped. •The current refugee crisis affects tourist behavior and destination image alike.•We discuss how the crisis affects the importance of perceived security and openness.•We use an online scenario study with four different countries (AT, GER, UK, US).•Perceived security becomes a stronger predictor for destination choice in a crisis.•Perceived openness only shows a stronger impact for two countries (AT, GER).