Tourists and tour operators are expected to head to Northern Europe in the future after a summer of heatwaves hit Southern Europe and left travellers wondering if cooler temperatures might suit them better. The Mediterranean region has remained Europe’s most popular summer tourist spot, but bookings to countries like Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden are on the rise compared to 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 that climate change will also drive more tourists northbound. The firm could see its travel season shift to start earlier in the spring and end in the fall. TUI’s Chief Executive Sebastian Ebel 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. It gives us more opportunities for growth.”
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 had resulted in more direct flight routes to Northern Norway being created.
Fabio Scaglione and Diego Bruno visited Stockholm from Turin in Italy last week with around 20 others in a trip organized by an Italian travel agency. “Last year we went to the South of Spain and it was very hot, this year we decided to go to a cooler place,” Bruno said. Heather Storgaard, a Scottish tourist, planned her summer vacation this year in Denmark, with a stop in Northern Germany. The hot weather has prevented her going south for the past five years, she added.
European tourists head to Northern Europe to escape heatwaves
Tourists and tour operators are expected to head to Northern Europe in the future after a summer of heatwaves hit Southern Europe and left travellers wondering if cooler temperatures might suit them better. The Mediterranean region has remained Europe’s most popular summer tourist spot, but bookings to countries like Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden are on the rise compared to 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 that climate change will also drive more tourists northbound. The firm could see its travel season shift to start earlier in the spring and end in the fall. TUI’s Chief Executive Sebastian Ebel 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. It gives us more opportunities for growth.”
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 had resulted in more direct flight routes to Northern Norway being created.
Fabio Scaglione and Diego Bruno visited Stockholm from Turin in Italy last week with around 20 others in a trip organized by an Italian travel agency. “Last year we went to the South of Spain and it was very hot, this year we decided to go to a cooler place,” Bruno said. Heather Storgaard, a Scottish tourist, planned her summer vacation this year in Denmark, with a stop in Northern Germany. The hot weather has prevented her going south for the past five years, she added.
