Spain, Italy, Greece, and other traditional vacation spots in Southern Europe are suffering from extreme heat, massive wildfires, and rising sea levels.
The southern beaches of Spain's Andalusia, southern Italy, and Greek islands were known as paradises that attract global tourists with beautiful sunlight and majestic rock formations.
However, after being hit hard by climate change recently, these resorts have fallen to 'places one should not go' filled with sweltering heat exceeding 46 degrees Celsius.
On the 14th (local time), The New York Times (NYT) reported that 'the summer vacation map of Europe is being completely rewritten by climate change,' noting that 'tourists visiting Europe this summer are turning to relatively cooler Northern Europe instead of traditional resorts in Southern Europe.'
According to a survey shared by the European Travel Commission (ETC) with the British media The Guardian, 76% of European travelers adjusted their summer travel plans due to the climate crisis. Of the respondents, one-third (33.7%) reported avoiding destinations expected to experience extreme weather anomalies.
In a survey by travel insurer Insureandgo, three-quarters of older adults in the U.K. stated that 'some European vacation spots will be too hot to visit in the next five years.'
Southern Europe is likely to suffer more extensively from climate change due to its high dependence on tourism.
In the summer of 2023, on the famous Greek vacation island of Rhodes, an unpredictable large wildfire caused 19,000 residents and tourists to evacuate.
According to the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), over 47,000 people died from heat-related causes across Europe in just 2023.
Ahead of this year's vacation season, the El Granado region in southwestern Spain approached a June temperature of 46 degrees Celsius (115 degrees Fahrenheit), setting a record high.
The famous vacation spot Barcelona has seen 30,000 square meters of beach sand washed away over the past five years, significantly reducing its beach area. Nearby Mongat beach has even lamented that 'there is not even space left to lay out a towel.'
The famous resort complex Marina D'Or near Valencia has also lost part of its beach, swept away by storms due to weather anomalies.
Tourism accounts for 12% of Spain's gross domestic product (GDP), much higher than the approximately 3% in Korea. The Spanish government has designated climate change as a serious threat to the entire tourism industry, making the transition to eco-friendly tourism a top priority.
The city of Barcelona is undertaking a project to expand urban green spaces and establish climate shelters, investing 1.8 billion euros (approximately 2.7 trillion won). Greece has begun imposing a 'climate crisis restoration tax' on tourists to fund recovery from climate disasters.
They are also implementing strategies to encourage visits during relatively cooler shoulder seasons, like spring and autumn, instead of the hot summer peak season.
Thanks to active promotion, tourists in Greece increased by 20% last spring compared to 2023. Similarly, Spain reported that the number of foreign entrants in January and February this year increased by about 20% compared to the transfer year of 2019, according to Euronews.
In contrast, Nordic countries are chasing new opportunities by promoting the term 'Coolcation' (cool vacation).
The British travel agency Intrepid Travel reported a 40% surge in bookings for Scandinavian travel products compared to the previous year.
Nordic-specialized travel agency Magnetic North Travel stated in an interview with The Guardian that inquiries for family travel products involving hiking and kayaking in Norway's fjords have doubled.
Eastern European countries such as the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Romania, and Poland are also gaining popularity as alternative vacation destinations. These countries are relatively cooler than Southern Europe, while their costs are cheaper than those in Northern Europe.
Experts have analyzed that climate change is demanding a fundamental overhaul of the tourism industry.
Professor Bas Amelung of Wageningen University in the Netherlands predicted in an interview with Euronews that 'if large heatwaves and wildfires occur almost every summer over the next five years across the Mediterranean, there could be a clear turning point in public perception of vacations.'