Hello!
Today’s Climate Focus attempts to answer a question I have had in the back of my mind while writing the last few newsletters which have highlighted severe heat and extreme summer sun – where do I go on holiday?
As you have noticed, I’ve been here writing this, not enjoying the sunshine in a lovely vacation destination. But, it’s far too hot for me to go to the usual European affordable holiday spots like Spain, Greece, France, Italy or the Balkans.
I haven’t been alone in thinking about alternatives and a team of Reuters correspondents set out to figure out where people are going on holiday instead of those usual destinations.
Our Reuters journos found that the wildfires and heat waves this summer have pushed more travelers to take “coolcations,” as the industry has started calling them, to northern Europe and Alaska to beat the heat.
In fact, cruise operators, hotel companies and airlines are adding trips and accommodations to meet rising demand for temperate destinations.
The numbers of plane tickets issued as of June for international arrivals in Norway, Ireland and Sweden this summer are up by 19%, 13% and 11% respectively year-over-year, according to flight-ticketing data firm ForwardKeys.
Maybe I’ll be taking a break later on in the year alongside many other UK travelers who still want a warm Mediterranean destination, but during spring and autumn seasons which are becoming more appealing, according to Sean Tipton, spokesperson for UK travel agent group ABTA.
But that’s just in Europe. Where are my American colleagues going for a break?
Perhaps they will follow Florida resident Kathy Pafunda’s footsteps who is planning a Norway getaway next summer, following visits over the last two years to cool-weather destinations Alaska, Utah, Minnesota and Iceland.
Maybe we’ll follow-up with where our colleagues in Asia and Africa are taking their vacations in our next Climate Focus. If you’re in Asia or Africa, where are you headed to relax this year?
But for now, will you help me decide? When and where do you think I should head off for an affordable holiday (emphasis on affordable!)?
Check out the stories below on the shocking cause of the Greek wildfires whilst storms hit Spain’s Balearic Islands, Tokyo and Bermuda.
