'Coolcation': Is climate change transforming travel?

The Swedish tourism association, Visit Sweden, is confident that going on vacation in colder regions is a new trend that's here to stay.

"Gone are the days of tirelessly chasing the scorching sun and sweltering heat," proclaims the association's website. It claims a new vacation trend is developing, the so-called coolcation — a term that derives from the words "cool" and "vacation."

According to the Swedish tourism association, "this trend reflects travelers' growing desire to visit destinations with moderate temperatures." As climate change brings extreme heat to southern Europe,more and more people are opting for trips in destinations with lower temperatures, the website says. 

Like Sweden, the Norwegian tourism promotion agency, Visit Norway, has also jumped on the bandwagon, urging travelers on its website to "escape the scorching sun and intense heat and head North for a refreshing summer vacation!"

In recent years, climate change is becoming increasingly noticeable in popular vacation destinations around the Mediterranean. Spain and Italy, for example, recorded the two hottest years on record in 2022 and 2023. In Greece, record temperatures and severe drought have been compounded by fierce forest fires around the country in recent summers. Even the most optimistic forecasts by climate experts suggest the heat will continue to rise in the coming decades.

Demand is rising in the North

A study carried out by the EU Commission last year found that rising temperatures are likely to affect the tourism industry. The study deals with the effects of climate change on tourism in Europe up to the year 2100.

According to the study, there is a "clear north-south pattern, with an increase in tourism demand in central and northern regions and a decrease in demand in southern regions."

The biggest loss of tourism revenue is expected in Greece, Spain, Italy and Portugal, while countries expected to see the most tourism growth are Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Sweden and the United Kingdom, among others.

A recent survey by the European Travel Commission also suggests that extreme heat has a deterrent effect on tourists. According to the study, 74% of respondents stated that they are adapting to the climate crisis in part by avoiding extreme temperatures.

However, experts say it's too early to claim that tourists are changing their travel behavior — especially German tourists. "There is no trend towards cooler vacation destinations in Germany," says Martin Lohmann of the Research Association for Holidays and Travel, which studies the travel behavior of German citizens.

Last year, Germans took almost 65 million vacations, only 3.6 million of which were to northern destinations such Denmark, Finland, Sweden and Norway.

When holidaymakers were asked about their motives for traveling, warm, sunny weather was regularly at the top of the list, says Lohmann. "If anything, this has even increased recently."

Spain, Italy, Greece, Croatia and Turkey remain the most popular destinations for German travelers.

Beach vacations still in demand

The situation is similar around the rest of Europe — southern European destinations continue to be in high demand. According to the European Travel Commission (ETC), more than 300 million travelers spent their vacations in Southern Europe last year. In Northern Europe, on the other hand, the figure was just over 80 million. According to the ETC, enjoying the "sun and beach" is by far the most frequently cited reason people in Europe travel.

Although Scandinavian countries have seen an increase in the number of holidaymakers in recent years, so have countries such as Spain and Italy — despite the heatwaves.

When asked by DW, neither the Swedish nor the Norwegian tourism promotion agencies were willing to confirm a decisive trend towards the "coolcation."

Sabine Klautzsch from Visit Sweden says it is difficult to say whether there is a growing desire for booking vacations in cooler climates. Margrethe Helgebostad of Visit Norway, on the other hand, points to other factors that entice tourists to Norway, like the favorable exchange rate of the Norwegian krone for foreign travelers and "good marketing."

Peter Zellmann, Head of the Vienna Institute for Leisure and Tourism Research (IFT), is convinced that the "coolcation" is no more than a "marketing invention."

"The wish for it to be like this has led to the idea." He says there is no evidence of a trend, although Northern Europe and the Alpine region could certainly be an alternative if it should become unbearably hot in the Mediterranean. "But we're still a long way from that," says tourism expert Martin Lohmann.

"It is quite possible that the topic will become more important in the future," he says. However, changes in vacation patterns due to climate change will take decades to manifest.

This article was originally written in German.