An unusual summer scorcher or a recent normal?
Some travelers aren’t waiting to seek out out if this yr’s heat wave in southern Europe is an anomaly or a part of a longer-term pattern attributable to climate change.
Tom Marchant, co-founder of the London-based luxury travel operator Black Tomato, told CNBC that his company has already seen a shift in interest from travelers hoping to avoid the searing summer heat.
“We’re seeing strong interest and desire to benefit from the Scandi summer,” he said. “Scandinavian destinations like Finland, Norway, Sweden, Iceland are seeing a pronounced rise from the sales front.”
‘Scandi summer’ trend
On the flip side, summer bookings to Scandinavia are up 37% from last yr, Marchant said, citing his company’s data.
“And we expect this may proceed to climb,” he said.
A “Scandi summer” trend is obvious amongst summer home renters too, in response to Expedia Group.
German travelers, specifically, are shifting their vacation searches on Vrbo northward, with interest in southern Norway rising 35% in the primary two weeks of July from the identical period in June, in response to Expedia Group.
Company data also showed German interest in vacation homes went up within the Swedish southern counties of Skane and Blekinge.
Elsewhere, vacation home searches from across Europe went up noticeably in:
- Edinburgh, Scotland — +20%
- Riga, Latvia — +25%
- Tallinn, Estonia — +25%
Across Europe, home rental interest within the southern Swedish province of Smaland rivaled those in the favored Spanish island of Tenerife — and exceeded those within the Italian beach town of Rimini, in response to Expedia Group.
Shifts in Spain
Spain is the most well-liked travel destination within the European Travel Commission’s poll of greater than 6,000 European travelers. But travel interest is shifting there as well, in response to Expedia Group.
Vacation home searches to popular spots like Costa Blanca, Costa Brava and Mallorca remained regular from June to July, in response to company data, but home rental interest climbed across Spain’s northern coast.
Home searches went up in Costa Verde, Costa de Cantabria and the culinary powerhouse autonomous community generally known as the Basque Country, data showed.
Alternatives to the Greek islands
Temperatures have dropped since, but just last month, wildfires in Greece forced tens of hundreds of individuals to be evacuated from the islands of Rhodes, Corfu and Evia — while some were still of their swimwear.
Tourists wait within the airport during wildfire evacuations on the Greek island of Rhodes on July 23, 2023.
Will Vassilopoulos | Afp | Getty Images
The Greek islands are amongst Europe’s top summer travel spots, but Marchant said some persons are turning to a different set of islands much farther north.
“The Lofoten Islands in Norway are especially appealing to our clients with families as an excellent alternative to Greece and Croatian islands,” he said, especially “for individuals who don’t need the extraordinary heat of the Med.”
Others are skipping island trips entirely, he said.
“Destinations like Canada, U.S. National Parks and European hidden gems like Slovenia have also proven especially popular.”
Italy in the autumn
Summer could also be synonymous with travel for a lot of, but the specter of heat waves, wildfires, flooding and hurricanes are leading some to push their annual trips to other seasons.
More persons are selecting “shoulder season travel,” which frequently has lower hotel rates, more availability and higher temperatures, Marchant said.
“In Italy’s southern heel, Puglia and Sicily are performing strong, but especially in shoulder season, the autumn,” he said. “You’ll still have warm and sunny weather well into October given its close proximity to North Africa, but fewer crowds and a more laid-back experience.”
Trading beaches for mountains
Due to rising summer temperatures in Europe, more persons are searching for out higher elevations and mountainous terrains, Marchant said.
“We’re seeing renewed interest within the Dolomites, and the Swiss and Austrian Alps, in places like Lucerne and Solden,” he said.
A spring poll of greater than 6,000 European travelers showed the No. 1 reason for selecting a travel destination was “nice weather conditions,” in response to the European Travel Commission. Now interest to travel to places like Lucerne, Switzerland in the summertime is rising.
Olyasolodenko | Istock | Getty Images
Even countries that many travelers assume are unbearably hot have cool spots at higher altitudes, Marchant said.
“Morocco is an important example,” he said.
Marrakech could also be toasty in the summertime, however the Atlas Mountains will be cooler — and even get brisk at night, he said. Plus, the summer is low season in Morocco, so it should be quieter and almost certainly of higher value too, he added.
Most soldiering on
Travelers who’ve already made travel plans appear to be staying the course.
Cynthia Nerangis, founding father of LemonLime Travel, which makes a speciality of travel to Greece, Italy and France, told CNBC Travel that her clients are sticking with their plans to go to Greece this summer — from Athens to the Cyclades and Crete.
And bookings increased this yr on the train, bus and flight booking company Omio, but cancellations remain low, said Peter Tomlinson, its vice chairman of knowledge.
“Despite extreme heat, wildfires and increased flight prices, Omio only saw a cancellation rate of three% of tickets in southern Europe,” Tomlinson told CNBC.
A representative of the insurance company InsureMyTrip said it hasn’t seen a noticeable uptick in calls or emails from customers wanting to vary or cancel plans due to the heat. Similarly, Squaremouth, one other travel company, said it hasn’t heard from any travelers wanting to cancel, or make claims about, trips affected by the warmth wave.