Greek authorities said Thursday that the Acropolis and other archaeological sites would remain closed to visitors between midday and 5:30 p.m. Tourist hot spots are already having to make adjustments because of the sweltering heat. (ESYJY), told reporters Thursday that the heat wave had not deterred tourists from taking their vacations in the usual places, but added that the airline had the flexibility to adjust its routes in the future if vacationers’ preferences started to change. Johan Lundgren, CEO of British airline easyJet Walkouts and strike threats: Europe's outdoor workers struggle under the blistering heat wave “As climate change takes grip, heat waves such as this are likely to be more frequent and more severe, with far-reaching consequences,” the ESA said in its statement.Ī tour guide uses an umbrella and gloves to shield himself from the sun with while touring the Acropolis archaeological site, during extreme hot weather conditions, in Athens, Greece. On Tuesday, the land surface temperature - that’s how hot the ground feels to touch - reached 45 degrees Celsius (113 Fahrenheit) in Rome, and 50 degrees Celsius (122 Fahrenheit) in Nicosia, Cyprus, and the city of Catania in Sicily, Italy, according to the ESA. Italy, Spain and Greece have faced unrelenting heat for days, but the European Space Agency warned in a statement last week that the heat wave had “only just begun.” Meanwhile, online searches for northern European destinations increased by 3 percentage points to hit 10%. Olivier Ponti, a senior researcher at ForwardKeys, said online searches in the United Kingdom for flights to southern Europe in the peak holiday months of July and August accounted for 58% of all flight searches at the start of July, down from 62% a month earlier. “It appears that the increasing awareness of heat waves has prompted British travelers to seek out last-minute destinations with milder temperatures this summer,” the spokesperson said. Pleasant weather remains the top consideration for Europeans when choosing where to vacation, according to the ETC survey, and 7.6% of respondents said the possibility of extreme weather during their European trip was their biggest concern.Ī spokesperson at ForwardKeys, a travel data company, told CNN that “there has been a shift in preference towards cooler and more northern destinations” among UK travelers as a result of the heat waves in continental Europe this month. Angelos Tzortzinis/picture alliance/Getty Images Tourists walk around the Acropolis hill in Athens on 14 July, 2023. Last year, the travel and tourism sector made up 18.5% of the Greek economy and more than 10% of Italy’s economy, according to the World Travel & Tourism Council. A growing preference for cooler vacation spots in the coming years would be bad news for countries on the Mediterranean Sea, especially those whose economies rely heavily on tourism. This summer’s extreme temperatures follow blistering heat last year. “This can be attributed to travelers seeking out less crowded destinations, and milder temperatures,” the association said. Spain, Italy, France, Croatia and Greece were still the most popular destinations, but places like the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Ireland, and Denmark had seen a “surge in popularity,” the ETC said in a statement this month after conducting a survey of around 6,000 people. Spain and Italy may still be among the most popular destinations for Europeans to take their vacations, but there are signs scorching weather in southern Europe has started to change travelers’ calculations on where to go in the future.Īccording to the European Travel Commission, a Brussels-based association of European tourism organizations, the number of European tourists planning to travel to Mediterranean destinations in the summer and fall has dropped 10% compared with the same period last year.
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