Climate change is forcing tourists to adapt their traveling habits. This year, due to heightened temperatures and high prices, more and more travellers are opting for change. Data shows that climate change is having a direct impact on chosen holiday destinations as well as the traditional tourist seasons themselves. Europe´s seaside locations are no longer the number one place to be this summer, as travellers search for less crowded, less expensive and cooler weather.
This doesn´t mean tourism is dead in Greece or other Southern European countries, not at all, what it does mean though is change is coming. “The high season for places like Italy and Greece is now September” says Rebecca Masri, founder of the luxury travel app “Little Emperors”. Masri encourages travellers who want to return to their favourite seaside destinations and not be impacted too heavily by prices, crowds or weather to go outside of the traditional summer high season of June- July- August and enjoy their destination in September instead.
Rising temperatures and prices
Destinations that we wouldn´t necessarily associate with the typical summer holiday are becoming more popular amongst travellers too. Figures provided to Bloomberg by Chase Travel, show that cities like Brussels, Munich, Zurich and Warsaw where temperatures are more moderate and prices don´t fluctuate as much in summer season, are becoming more attractive to travellers looking to avoid rising temperatures and rising prices.
Soaring inflation also has an impact on rising rates, according to data from luxury travel consultancy group “Virtuoso”, the average daily rate (ADR) of a luxury room in major European holiday destinations has almost doubled, rising from around €900 in 2019 to €1,700 last year.
Misty Belles, Virtuoso’s Vice President of international PR, corroborates Chase Travel´s findings mentioned above:
“We’re seeing a desire to go to locations or destinations where the prices aren’t as outrageous”.
A quick search of Google Hotels shows this disparity very clearly. Whilst rooms in a five-star hotel in Brussels are available for less than €500 a night for check-in the first week of June 2024, the price is closer to €900 for the same search in Paris.
Too hot? Head North
“Last summer, Europe was very crowded, in addition to being incredibly hot,” says Virtuoso´s Misty Belles. This combination has led to more people looking for holiday destinations in more northern parts of Europe. Virtuoso have recorded bookings for the Netherlands have increased by 33%, by 31% for Austria and bookings for Germany have increased by 26%.
Have the Dutch had enough?
As you can imagine, there are cities, such as Amsterdam that are concerned about the impact of this sudden increase in tourism on their city.
The city ranks fifth among Chase Travel’s fastest-growing destination cities, despite tourism figures that have prompted the government to launch a “stay away” campaign to discourage mass tourism.
Europe’s fastest growing urban destinations YoY growth
Brussels 73%
Munich 63%
Zurich 59%
Warsaw 55%
Amsterdam 54%
Vienna 53%
Shannon, Ireland 53%
Zagreb, Croatia 51%
Prague 49%
Budapest 48%
SOURCES: Chase Travel, Bloomberg
Ακολουθήστε μας στο Google News και μάθετε πρώτοι όλες τις ειδήσεις!
