The increasingly extreme temperatures Spain and southern Europe are experiencing due to global warming will transform tourism in the years to come. “There are signs that European travelers are looking for alternatives to the southern Mediterranean countries during the summer, but these remain the preferred destinations,” explains Eduardo Santander, Director of the European Travel Commission (ETC). The increasingly prolonged heatwaves, very damaging to the most vulnerable population, have not yet resulted in cancellations but are already impacting certain destinations: Athens, for example, closes the Parthenon during the hottest hours. Experts assume that trips in July and August will be reduced in the coming years, but the tourist season will be longer and overnight stays in natural areas will increase; In addition, destinations must adapt to offer vegetation, shade and water to tourists during these episodes.
The European Travel Commission, an organization that brings together 35 national tourism organizations – including TurEspaña – has just published a survey with data from 10 countries, which shows that the number of Europeans willing to travel to the Mediterranean from June to November fell by 10% compared to the previous year; and that 7.6% of travelers see extreme weather events as a concern for their travel. “Other cooler destinations that aren’t traditionally very popular in summer are starting to benefit, like Ireland, Denmark, Bulgaria… This doesn’t mean that people won’t travel to Spain, Italy or Greece, but it does mean that other destinations are starting to be considered for climate reasons,” Santander points out.
A line of people under umbrellas waits to enter the Alhambra in Granada on Tuesday. Miguel Angel Molina (EFE)
Zoritsa Urosevic, executive director of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), agrees: “Heat waves have a major impact on holiday destination choices. The extreme temperatures discourage certain types of tourists from traveling to the Mediterranean and betting on other, less popular areas in the north.” Santander tercia: “There is a shift in the perception of what climate change can do to tourism. In addition, the traveler develops a taste for destinations that deal with these themes: sustainability, nature…”.
In any case, this incipient trend has not yet had an impact on accommodation reservations. “There is no drop in reserves from the heat. But overnight stays in natural areas with milder temperatures are increasing, such as inland Catalonia, the Pyrenees, Asturias, Cantabria…” explains Jorge Marichal, President of the Spanish Hotel and Accommodation Confederation (Cehat), which brings together 1.8 million hotel beds. In fact, Britons – one of the nationalities most likely to visit Spain – have booked fewer holidays in their country and more in the Mediterranean this year, although this is largely due to continued interest in fleeing to the beaches following lockdowns and flight restrictions, according to the British Association of Travel Agencies (ABTA), quoted by Portal.
There is no sign of this in the swarms either, they do not stop growing. “The cumulative air traffic in Spain is 2% higher than in 2019, a record year for the reception of tourists and we could exceed 275 million trips this year,” says Javier Gándara, President of the Airlines Association (ALA), employers in the sector. “It is clear that for the time being the heat is having no effect. This is because tourists from Northern Europe come here not only for the weather, but also to enjoy the beaches, the gastronomy, the shops, the parties, the lifestyle… So if the destinations adapt, the impact can be mitigated,” he adds.
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Many of the European trips are booked months in advance, making extreme events difficult to predict. “More and more people will wait until the last moment to book their vacation, avoiding problems of this type, so the industry needs to be agile and adapt, as it was already the case with the pandemic,” emphasizes Santander.
Water sale at the entrance of the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona on Tuesday. NACHO DOCE (Portal)
In general, most travel insurance policies do not consider heat waves or extreme temperatures as reasons for canceling a flight or stay. “We cover adverse weather conditions that prevent a mode of transport from departing, but a heatwave does not usually prevent this,” replies a spokesman for Allianz Partners, one of the largest companies in the industry. “We had no claim for this reason; If they happened, we would adapt our products to reality,” he adds. The insurance employer Unespa refers on its website to the most important recognized reasons for travel cancellations: medical operation, illness, dismissal or re-employment.
Possibility to extend the season
Marichal believes that climate change may be an opportunity: “The heat can serve to deseasonize tourism, which means lengthening the season and encouraging more visitors to come in spring and autumn.” It is similar to a recent report by Italy’s Environment Ministry – quoted by Portal – showing that foreign tourists will travel more in spring and autumn and choose cooler destinations in the future. According to Urosevic, this can be helped by the greater work flexibility decreed after the Corona crisis: “After the lockdowns, more and more people have jobs that allow them to work remotely, and they also have more flexibility to take holidays in months other than July and August, which may benefit more tourist destinations.” However, the challenge of seasonal adjustment is the school holidays, which coincide 100% with the high season.
These temperatures will force authorities to pay more attention to tourists to avoid fear, as Eleni Myrivili, who has been Athens’ heat councilor for two years, explains: “We are working with the Red Cross to get vans with water and information about heat to the most touristy areas like the Acropolis.” It’s important that everyone has water and is aware of the danger. Also, a few days ago we closed the Acropolis for a few hours because it was too hot and we were afraid that people might get into trouble.” According to him, “it is important that the public spaces, frequented by both tourists and the general public, are transformed in a way that offers coolness, with shade, plants and water.” In fact, this summer in Italy there have been several cases of tourists being urgently evacuated due to heat stroke.
Thousands of tourists hotly descend next to the Parthenon in Athens on July 4th. Thanassis Stavrakis (AP)
Santander points out that cities need to plan attention to tourists during heat waves and even limit visits to certain monuments if necessary. “Digitization can be an important tool here,” he says. Ester Higueras, professor of urban planning at the Madrid School of Architecture, sees other changes: “We need to change the guidelines for visits to make them more nocturnal, something that the tourism sector can encourage to make them more attractive.” In the sunny hours it is necessary to take naps again because with a lot of radiation and heat it is not healthy to visit anything. In addition, shady tourist routes can be created with trees, fountains and rest areas.”
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