This summer, amid scorching heatwaves, travellers are looking beyond the usual Mediterranean destinations in hopes of cooler escapes. But will this only be a one-off summer, or mark a durable shift in the tourism market?
With temperatures in the European summer now climbing up towards 40C, the trend of seeking out cool has now become cool.
This year, visitors "have been telling me that they have escaped the heat in southern parts of Europe”, said Terje Viblom Pedersen, a guide who offers tours in southeastern Sweden.
They are “just amazed" by the daytime high temperatures under 30C and sea breezes, as well as the lack of crowds compared to tourist hotspots in southern Europe.
"It's good to have escaped the heatwave," said Daniel and Florence Gastaldi, two French tourists on a tour of Stockholm's Old Town. "We're happy to have found cooler temperatures," added the recently retired couple from the southern French city of Marseille.
