Extreme weather warnings, wildfires and drought are starting to deter holidaymakers from peak-season travel to the continent’s tourist hotspots. With temperatures exceeding 40°C in places such as Spain’s Basque Country and Bordeaux in France this week, the goldilocks window – when the weather is warm, but not too hot – may be shifting.
Research from the European Travel Commission (ETC), a non-profit representing Europe’s national tourism organisations, has found that 75–80 per cent of respondents say climate change affects their travel behaviour.
Many of those travellers are “actively seeking milder climates, monitoring weather conditions more closely, or avoiding destinations prone to extreme heat,” according to Teodora Marinska, from the ETC.
Meanwhile, a “super” El Niño, which encourages extreme weather, is expected over the summer.
The city of Bordeaux in southwestern France has recorded temperatures over 40°C this week (Photo: Jean-Luc Ichard/Getty)
