Does southern Europe no longer have a future as a holiday destination? At least that’s what Health Minister Lauterbach thinks about the consequences of climate change there. Accountants of the Ministry of Tourism of Italy.
Italian Tourism Minister Daniela Santanchè reacted angrily to a tweet from Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach. The SPD politician is currently on holiday in Italy and when he arrived in Bologna he questioned Italy’s future as a holiday destination given the current heat wave.
Italy’s reaction was not long in coming. Santanchè said that Italy is still looking forward to welcoming Lauterbach back as a tourist, as reported by news agencies dpa and “FAZ”.
Lauterbach: Climate change is destroying southern Europe
Faced with a heat wave that brought extremely high temperatures to southern Europe, Lauterbach had already written on Twitter on July 13:
In his tweet, he referred to a map from the Helmholtz Climate Initiative and information from the European Space Agency. This shows that countries like Italy are in a big heat wave. Temperatures of up to 48 degrees are expected on the islands of Sicily and Sardinia – “possibly the hottest temperatures ever measured in Europe”.
Santanchè: Italy continues to be the preferred holiday destination
“I would like to thank the German Health Minister for choosing Italy as a travel destination, which has always been the favorite holiday destination for his compatriots,” said Santanchè. “Of course we look forward to welcoming you back in the future.” In Italy, people are aware of climate change, which affects not only southern Europe, but the entire planet. “We are sure that Germans will continue to enjoy their holidays in Italy,” said Santanchè.
Tourism in Italy is booming this year – like before the pandemic and even more so. There are almost no vacant accommodations in particularly popular travel destinations in the country. The industry expects a record summer. In 2022, according to data from the Federal Statistical Office, Italy was the most popular holiday destination for Germans next to Austria.