Wildfires and temperatures over 40C at major European summer hotspots are driving holidaymakers further north than normal, with Scotland and Scandinavia booming
Scotland is seeing a boom in “coolcations” as people turn away from boiling summer holidays in the Med to cooler trips to northern nations. More than 250,000 people have been evacuated from wildfire regions across Europe so far this summer as heatwaves batter the continent.
Three in four UK holidaymakers believe that traditional destinations such as France, Spain, Greece and Cyprus will be too hot to visit by 2030, according to a study. And a new probe has found British holidaymakers are swapping Santorini for Scotland and Scandinavia as sweltering heatwave temperatures drive a surge in so-called “coolcations”.
Temperatures in parts of England rose as high as 35C on Monday, but north of the border there were spells of rain and highs in the mid-20s, a tempting prospect for those tired of the heat.
In the past three months, searches are up by 420 per cent for “coolcations” and 300 per cent for “escape the heat”, according to Awaze, which owns Hoseasons and cottages.com. It said that Yorkshire and the north-west were also attracting more interest.
Travel Counsellors, a Manchester based holiday firm, said that trips to the cooler northern European nations, particularly Norway, were up by about 25 per cent on last year.
Meanwhile, the hospitality group Hyatt said bookings for Sweden had more than doubled over the past three years.
“Southern European holidays will no longer be a relaxing summer holiday escape,” said Ilan Kelman, professor of disasters and health at University College London.
Peter Sammonds, professor of geophysics and climate risks at UCL, said: “The human body struggles to cope in 33°C weather.
“British tourists need to become aware of these risks, similar to how they would when travelling somewhere like Egypt or Cyprus. Tourists do not think about these things when going to France.”
Climate scientists are predicting a change in weather patterns around the globe later this year due to an expected el Niño event.
Dr Liz Bentley, chief executive of the Royal Meteorological Society, said: “El Niño will add extra warmth to the global climate, but it isn’t the main reason Europe is experiencing these extremes.
“The overwhelming driver is long-term climate change, which is increasing the likelihood and intensity of the conditions we’re seeing across southern Europe.”
Mr Kelman believes that, in summer, southern European hotspots will become areas to vacate from, rather than to.
Data from Trip.com has shown a 237 per cent increase in searches for cooler destinations in summer.
Travel agents are also increasingly promoting “coolcations” in countries such as Switzerland, Norway and Iceland.
Dr Bentley said British holidaymakers will need to increasingly consider countries in northern Europe, or “change their habits by choosing to travel earlier or later in the year”.