Up to 45 degrees this week What the deadly heatwave means for travelers

Rising temperatures and dangerous heatwaves make Europe a challenging destination for tourists: Travelers should prepare for extreme weather conditions.

Mary Beth Walsh thought she was used to high temperatures as a Texan, but her visit to Athens in mid-June presented her with a whole new challenge. "I had no idea about the extreme heat - until we were there," the 21-year-old told CNN.

Despite her supposedly high heat tolerance, she found the 37 degrees Celsius "unbearable". The lack of air conditioning in her accommodation and the high daytime temperatures made it impossible to explore the city on foot. Up to 45 degrees are expected in the south this week alone.

"Our energy levels were lower than expected," she reported. "It was quite unbearable to walk in the direct sun."

Climate crisis forces travelers to rethink

The hot summers in Europe caused by the climate crisis are now a reality for many tourists. According to experts, interest in traveling to hot Mediterranean countries fell in 2023 due to record-breaking heatwaves and forest fires.

At the same time, cooler destinations are becoming increasingly popular. Recent heat-related incidents in Greece include the death of British TV personality Michael Mosley. Such incidents could reinforce the trend of holidaymakers opting for more northerly destinations.

The need for both the travel industry and tourists to adapt to the effects of climate change is becoming increasingly clear for the countries of Southern Europe, many of which rely heavily on tourism to boost their economies.

Protective measures and adaptations

The Greek authorities repeatedly warn travelers not to underestimate the intense heat, especially at midday. Walking in high temperatures has already led to deaths in the past.

Stefanos Sidiropoulos, who runs Greece's largest travel agency for outdoor activities, emphasizes that tourists, especially those from cooler regions, need to get used to the heat. His company, Trekking Hellas, offers activities in cooler temperatures, such as at sunrise or sunset.

Tourism and climate

Climate change is increasingly influencing the choice of destinations, which has serious consequences for some countries that are heavily dependent on tourism. In Greece, tourism accounts for around 20 percent of the country's total economy at almost 38 billion euros (around 37 billion Swiss francs), according to the World Travel and Tourism Council.

In Italy, where level three heat warnings - the highest warning level - were recently issued for the cities of Rome, Perugia and Palermo, tourism accounts for 10 percent of the economy, with one in eight jobs linked to the industry according to current figures.

Following the summer 2023 heatwave, which saw thousands fleeing forest fires on the Greek island of Rhodes, European travelers' concerns about climate change increased by 7 percent, reports the European Travel Commission (ETC).

This led to a decline in interest in southern Mediterranean destinations and an increase in the popularity of cooler destinations such as the Czech Republic, Bulgaria and Denmark.

"Travelers are increasingly aware of extreme weather events and their potential impact on their vacations," said Eduardo Santander, CEO of the ETC, adding that in the future this could encourage more tourists to visit southern Europe in spring or autumn rather than in the hot summer.

Warmer temperatures globally

However, tourists' concerns about climate change are usually short-lived at the moment. "After the summer, travelers are worried, but by the time they book their next vacation in spring, they have often forgotten about these events," he said.

Last summer's record-breaking temperatures around the world were driven by a mixture of man-made climate change and the return of the natural El Niño phenomenon, which brings warmer temperatures globally.

This combination led to record temperatures in parts of Europe, the fastest warming continent on Earth. Although the influence of El Niño is waning, experts say the long-term trend of global warming will continue.