Coolcation What's behind the new travel trend
More and more vacationers are being drawn to cool northern Europe in summer, to countries such as Iceland. There, hikes in almost untouched nature are tempting - here on the Breidarlon glacier.
Image: Unai Huizi//IMAGO/imagebroker
Exploring nature in a kayak with bag and baggage is attracting more and more tourists to Scandinavia.
Image: IMAGO/SuperStock
In the summer months in particular, there is a good chance of seeing moose at dusk - for example during a moose safari.
Image: Robert F. Bukaty/KEYSTONE
This is how many people imagine their ideal vacation in Sweden: a small red wooden cabin with private lake access and a sauna.
Image: IMAGO/Pond5 Images
More and more vacationers are being drawn to cool northern Europe in summer, to countries such as Iceland. There, hikes in almost untouched nature are tempting - here on the Breidarlon glacier.
Image: Unai Huizi//IMAGO/imagebroker
Exploring nature in a kayak with bag and baggage is attracting more and more tourists to Scandinavia.
Image: IMAGO/SuperStock
In the summer months in particular, there is a good chance of seeing moose at dusk - for example during a moose safari.
Image: Robert F. Bukaty/KEYSTONE
This is how many people imagine their ideal vacation in Sweden: a small red wooden cabin with private lake access and a sauna.
Image: IMAGO/Pond5 Images
Fjords instead of beaches, glaciers instead of the Mediterranean - heat above 40 degrees in the Mediterranean south is driving more and more holidaymakers to the cooler north. Scandinavia is gearing up for more summer tourism.
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- More and more tourists are spending their summer vacation in northern Europe instead of the hot south.
- The trend is known as the "coolcation".
- Scandinavia in particular is benefiting from this.
A summer vacation in July or August is the highlight of the year for many. Particularly popular: beach vacations in Spain, Italy, Greece and Turkey. But when temperatures in the Mediterranean rise to over 40 degrees and algae slime spreads across the water, relaxation is limited.
As a result, not only are many locals fleeing the summer heat in their Mediterranean homelands, but holidaymakers, previously regarded as a steady source of income, are also increasingly turning north.
More and more often, their vacation plans include Iceland instead of Italy, Scotland instead of Spain or Finland instead of Fuerteventura. "Coolcation" - a combination of "cool" as in cool and "vacation" as in vacation - is the name of the trend towards summer vacations in cooler climes.
Overtourism is still hardly known in the north
The Swedish state tourism agency "visit sweden" is now even marketing the trend on its website. Among the eleven suggestions for "refreshing" vacations: Forest bathing, snorkeling on Sweden's west coast or midsummer skiing.
Instead of sunbathing, lazing under a parasol and reading by the pool, a "coolcation" is more about sporting activities such as trekking, cycling or kayaking, for which it is often simply too hot in the south. Another advantage: the vacation destinations in northern Europe are usually less crowded.
According to an EU study, cooler vacation regions in northern Europe could even benefit permanently from climate change in the future. Data from 269 European regions was used to evaluate the impact of current climatic conditions on tourism.
The result: "We found a clear north-south pattern in the changes in tourism demand. The northern regions are benefiting from climate change, while the southern regions are facing a significant decline in tourism demand," the study report states.
