Extreme heat in Europe is becoming the new normal — prompting tourists toward cooler destinations

Sweltering conditions across southern Europe could accelerate a burgeoning trend among holidaymakers, as more tourists prioritize milder temperatures or off-season travel to avoid spending their time away in oppressive heat.

Europe is currently experiencing some of the hottest temperatures of the summer so far, with yet another heat wave expected to push the mercury close to record-breaking levels in the coming days.

An intense and prolonged series of heat waves recently brought temperatures to over 45 degrees Celsius (113 Fahrenheit) in parts of Greece, eastern Spain, and Sardinia and Sicily in southern Italy.

Data from the European Travel Commission, a nonprofit based in Brussels, showed earlier this month that travelers planning to take trips between June and November this year decreased by 4% compared with 2022 — but remained at a high 69%.

Spain was the most popular travel destination, with 8% of respondents planning a vacation locally in the coming months, the ETC said. The southern European country was followed closely by France (7%), Italy (7%), Greece (5%) and Croatia (5%).

The popularity of Mediterranean vacation destinations, however, dropped by 10% compared with last year, when Europe experienced its hottest summer on record.

Meanwhile, the ETC said vacation spots like the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Ireland and Demark experienced a surge in popularity, attributing the findings to travelers seeking out less crowded destinations and the pursuit of cooler climes.

The trade body also said many planning trips in the coming months were looking for more affordable experiences or considering offseason travel to stretch their budgets.

Nearly a quarter of the ETC survey’s respondents said they were worried about the overall rise of trip costs, while 8% cited possible extreme weather conditions.

Emergency workers have been battling devastating wildfires over the past week in Greece — one of the most popular Mediterranean vacation spots.

Huge blazes on the Greek island of Rhodes forced an unprecedented evacuation of some 19,000 people on Sunday, while wildfires also broke out on the islands of Evia and Corfu.

It has left many holidaymakers stuck in limbo, with the BBC reporting Monday that people forced to leave their hotels over the weekend have since been sleeping at the airport, as well as in sports halls, conference centers and on the street.

“Increasingly, this is what you will face if you holiday in southern Europe during the summer months,” said Bill McGuire, professor emeritus of geophysical and climate hazards at University College London, on Twitter.

“And every single holiday flight makes global heating worse,” he added.

Scientists say the extreme weather sweeping across the globe reaffirms the increasing urgency of cutting greenhouse gas emissions as quickly and as deeply possible.

It also, the U.N.’s World Meteorological Organization says, underpins why “we have to step up efforts to help society adapt to what is, unfortunately, becoming the new normal.”

The decline in popularity of Mediterranean countries as vacation hot spots could coincide with an emerging trend of holidaymakers seeking new destinations with cooler temperatures.

In Estonia, for example, average summer temperatures tend to hover around 20 degrees Celsius, and spot readings rarely exceed 30 degrees Celsius.

Marketing campaigns to promote Estonia’s colder climate are not likely to be forthcoming, however.

“Obviously in terms of tourism marketing, it’s a bit of a hard sell,” Rainer Aavik, head of Enterprise Estonia’s tourism department, told public broadcaster ERR on July 18.

“As a whole, we are selling the Nordic experience and the fact that there is plenty of nature and fresh air. But positioning ourselves as an opposite to warmer countries is unlikely to benefit Estonia in the long term,” Aavik said.