European tourists to head north to dodge heat; travel season could shift amid climate change - The Straits Times

LONDON - Tourists and tour operators are expected to head to northern Europe in future after a summer of crippling heatwaves hit southern Europe, leaving travellers to wonder if cooler temperatures might suit them better.

The Mediterranean region has remained Europe’s most popular summer tourist spot.

But bookings to countries such as Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden are on the rise compared with in 2022, according to Mastercard data.

Factors such as cheaper airfares and weaker currencies in Scandinavia could play a role.

But one of the world’s biggest tour operators, TUI, said on Wednesday that climate change will also drive more tourists northwards.

The firm could see its travel season shift to start earlier in the spring and end in autumn, TUI’s chief executive Sebastian Ebel told reporters. It could also offer more holidays to the Nordic countries, the Netherlands, Poland and Belgium, he said.

“We will go into Greece to middle of November, and I actually asked my colleagues, maybe we should open it until the end of the year, until or after Christmas,” Mr Ebel told a media call.

“It gives us more opportunities for growth.”

Mr Ebel was speaking after TUI announced it could face €25 million (S$37 million) in costs tied to wildfires in Rhodes, Greece.

Tour operators in places like northern Norway also see an increased demand.

The regional tourist information for Vesteraalen, an island district in northern Norway, said it had guests from central and southern Europe who came to Norway to escape the heatwave.

This has resulted in more direct flight routes to northern Norway being created, it said.

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