The results of its research into the long-term plans of tourists were called stunning by the company InsureandGo, which tried to find out the impact of climate change on the preferences of travelers. “It may get too hot here in the coming years” – this is exactly how potential European clients think about the traditional summer tourist destinations of the Mediterranean. According to their answers, in 5 years – by 2027, Turkey, Spain, Italy, Greece, and Cyprus will be too hot to spend summer holidays there. As a result, half of the survey participants plan to gradually change the geography of their vacation.
About 2,000 respondents took part in the survey — and almost three-quarters of them, or 71%, believe that by 2027, some parts of Europe will be too hot to visit in the summer. Chris Rolland, CEO of InsureandGo travel insurance, called this result “amazing”. The reason for this result, according to the expert, was the fact that the hottest summer in history was recorded in Europe this year, and tourists do not want to rest in such conditions. And it was Europe’s second hot summer in a row, with average temperatures 0.4 degrees Celsius higher than the previous record set in 2021. The record temperature recorded in Sicily was 48 degrees, and some climatologists fear that southern Europe will have to get acquainted with a new reality – where the temperature will rise to +50 and above in the summer.
Spain will suffer the most. 65% of surveyed tourists expressed fear about this country that the heat will soon prevent them from vacationing there in the summer. 59% are worried about the supposed heat in Greece. In the future, the heat may drive away a little more than half of the European tourist flow, or 55%, from Turkey, which is beloved by European tourists. Cyprus, Portugal, and Italy “balance” at the level of half of the potential tourists: from 42 to 51% of respondents also believe that these countries may become “too hot” for summer vacations by 2027.
At the same time, the heat repels mostly such an audience as European pensioners. Thus, 53% of tourists aged 18 to 34 expressed fear of too much heat in Spain, and 83% of people aged 65 and overexpressed fear. In Greece, these figures are 43% and 77%, respectively.
However, as the researchers assure, some directions will only benefit from such a change. In particular, the Scandinavian countries or Switzerland may have a more pleasant climate for visiting, and the heat may return tourists to the inland resorts of Great Britain and Germany. Of course, this is provided that the Gulf Stream is preserved. Another trend may be a shift in demand to other seasons — to the point that Easter or Christmas vacations will be the best time for family vacations.