Heat pushes some European holidaymakers toward cooler destinations

Some European holidaymakers are choosing cooler northern destinations as summer heatwaves affect parts of Europe, but tourism experts say it is not yet clear whether the shift will become a lasting change in travel patterns.

With summer temperatures in Europe often moving toward 40 degrees Celsius, some travellers are looking for places with milder weather. In southeastern Sweden, tour guide Terje Viblom Pedersen said visitors had told him they were avoiding heat in southern Europe. He said tourists were surprised by daytime highs below 30C, sea breezes and smaller crowds than in better-known southern destinations.

French tourists Daniel and Florence Gastaldi, a recently retired couple from Marseille, said during a tour of Stockholm's Old Town that they were pleased to have found cooler weather and to have avoided the heatwave.

The idea of a "coolcation", or a holiday in a cooler place, has grown in recent years and appears to have become more visible in 2026. On the French version of Hotels.com, searches for Copenhagen hotel rooms rose 246 percent after the first heatwave in France in May. Searches for Dublin rose 151 percent.

The trend is also being reported outside Europe. Jonna Robertson, a trip adviser at New York-based Fora Travel and founder of Coolcation Adventures, said she had seen similar interest in the United States, where hot weather has also affected travellers. She said Oslo bookings were up 154 percent year on year and Helsinki bookings were up 124 percent, which she said showed travellers were looking beyond traditional summer destinations.

In France, industry figures say mountain resorts are also becoming more popular in summer. Jean-Pascal Chopard, head of the tourism body for the Jura region, said higher altitudes bring lower evening and night temperatures, making stays more comfortable.

Experts cautioned that cooler weather does not necessarily mean a broad change in global tourism. Swedish tourism specialist Stefan Gossling said all European countries had recorded more tourist arrivals and that there was no clear trend linked specifically to heat. He said temperature is one factor in holiday choices, but culture, environment, prices and personal preferences also matter.

Norway's tourism promotion agency said recent surveys showed about one in five foreign tourists considered cooler summer temperatures one reason for choosing Norway. It also said climate was only one of several factors, alongside security, nature, accessibility, air links and exchange rates.

Southern Europe remains highly popular and has extensive tourism infrastructure. Greece and Spain both recorded their highest visitor numbers last year. In Spain, domestic and foreign tourist spending rose by more than eight percent in the second quarter of 2026, according to recent data from Exceltur, an organisation representing major Spanish tourism companies.

Robertson said she expects more seasonal redistribution, with some travellers choosing hotter countries in spring or autumn to avoid both heavy crowds and extreme heat.