It's almost summer and Greece is one of the European countries preparing its annual tourist influx. But beyond the typical hotel and pool cleaning routine, the country also has its own for another arrival. Authorities announced this week that they deployed a record 18,000 firefighters, nearly double the Greek drone fleet, and tackled the threat of ever-growing wildfires. “It's clear that conditions will be particularly difficult,” Climate Crisis and Civil Protection Minister Giannis Kefaloziannis told reporters after national training Thursday. “We're all going to fight.”
Authorities said the threat of climate-driven wildfires is “realistic” following weeks of drought. March was the hottest recorded in Europe, according to the EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service, but last month was the second April in April.
Currently, forecasters predict that June will be hotter than usual in southern Europe…and that has not escaped the notification of UK vacationers.
A survey by travel insurance company Insureandgo found that around 80% of tourists who voted said they would avoid traditional European destinations that they believe are too hot to visit in the next five years.
Greece (48%), Turkey (45%) and Spain (44%) have appeared as countries at the highest risk of being knocked out of the summer holiday list by 2029.
Meanwhile, many vacationers book their holidays in cooler climates in Scandinavian and Baltic countries, as well as in cooler climates up to Alaska.
The so-called “cool cation” trend has pushed up a number of lists of options that some countries have preferred during summer holidays. The top five destinations coveted by UK travelers due to pleasant temperatures in the Insureandgo survey were Iceland (22%), Canada (21%), Sweden (18%), Ireland (17%) and Finland (16%).
According to Garry Nelson, Head of Corporate Affairs at Insureandgo, vacationers have witnessed firsthand the devastating effects of climate change both at home and abroad, which now affect their holiday plans.
“Wildfires and flash floods from recent summers have naturally influenced the decisions of holidaymakers in the UK, and assessing extreme weather is now a hallmark of many people's holiday planning, reaching their destination where, when and how to arrive,” he told Express.
“The impacts of climate change are becoming more and more apparent during people's travels, including extreme heat, floods, forest fires, or pollution visible on the beach. Undoubtedly, this is one of the biggest challenges we will face in the coming years and we take it very seriously.”
And insurance is not the only tourism operator to pay attention to trends. Intrepid Travel recently reported a 50% increase in bookings to Iceland, Estonia and Scandinavia due to travel between July and August by UK customers. Bookings to Southern Europe fell by 15% during the same period.
“It seems like summer days to hotspots like Spain are numbered,” said James Thornton, the company's CEO. He believes that skilled older travelers, as well as first-time jet setters, ages 18-35, are driving the trend. “Growth is so much from baby boomers (and X) in their 50s and 60s,” he said of the former. “So the kids will leave the house, their mortgage will be paid off, they will have free time to go out and see the world, and they will probably not be affected by the cost of living.”
Aside from drop in temperature, cold destinations in Scandinavian countries are becoming increasingly attractive to travelers due to their commitment to sustainability.
“We know from our own research that when it comes to people's holidays, most are willing to make changes,” says Garry Nelson. “In fact, three-quarters say they are more open to considering green holidays than they were 10 years ago. The majority are ready to take small steps to minimize the impact on the environment.”
