Heatwaves and overtourism: Aussies rethink the Euro summer trip as we know it

News.com.au

a day ago

Australian travellers love a European summer — but extreme heat and massive crowds are influencing a huge change to the popular trip.
Two years ago, Intrepid Travel made the bold prediction that within the next five to 10 years Aussies will be choosing to jet off to Europe for Easter and September school holidays instead of the wildly popular July and August months because it's getting too hot.
But it is actually happening a lot sooner than previously thought.
For the first time this year, more Intrepid Travel customers are travelling to Europe in the shoulder season (April, May, September) than those travelling in the traditional peak summer season (June, July, August).
That is 55 per cent of the Melbourne-born global travel company's Europe-bound customers choosing to book in traditionally less popular months.
'I thought we had five to ten years before this trend hit the mainstream, but climate change has accelerated everything,' Intrepid Travel's Australian and New Zealand managing director Brett Mitchell told news.com.au on Friday.
'Heatwaves, wildfires, and overtourism aren't isolated incidents anymore, they're central to the travel experience of a European summer.'
In Spain alone, 57 per cent of Intrepid Travel customers are travelling in the shoulder season, and in Portugal it's a huge 64 per cent. Shoulder season is also now the busiest time to travel on the company's tours in Italy (its top selling European destination), Greece and Croatia.
'Enticed by fewer crowds, lower costs and cooler climates, we're seeing travellers discover the benefits of visiting popular destinations outside of peak season,' Mr Mitchell said.
Peak season bookings for Italy are down 72 per cent year-on-year, while off-season bookings have surged by 166 per cent. Croatia's peak bookings dropped 19 per cent, with a 179 per cent increase in off-peak demand.
While Flight Centre has not seen shoulder season yet outweigh the typical peak season like Intrepid Travel has, the travel giant told news.com.au it is impossible to ignore the increasing popularity of the shoulder season.
'Shoulder season bookings have picked up over the past couple of years as Aussies start to redefine what a traditional European summer looks like,' Flight Centre Travel Group's global leisure chief executive James Kavanagh said.
'Now, we're seeing 'Euro Summer' extend from May right through to the end of September, as opposed to the standard June to August.'
Mr Kavanagh believes it has more to do with avoiding massive crowds of other tourists than the rising temperatures.
'That being said, we've definitely seen both enquiry and actual bookings pick up in the Nordic countries like Finland, Greenland and Norway during summer,' he added.
'These countries are cooler, but are also rich in bucket-list experiences and offer something different to your traditional Med seaside holiday. The Northern Lights are also the best they've been in two years, so that's probably a contributing factor too.'
Australian data from Booking.com shows searches on the accommodation booking platform are up 35 per cent for Paris, 40 per cent for Athens, and 25 per cent for both Lisbon and Milan after the peak in September this year, compared to last year.
Australian company Webjet said while its flight data wasn't finalised yet, shoulder season demand so far was remaining strong at similar levels to last year — which saw that travelling in September had become just as popular as July and even more than August. June was still the busiest month in 2024.
Europe suffering from extreme heat
Extreme heat in Europe this summer has already triggered serious health alerts, wildfires, and led to hospitalisations and even deaths in some countries.
In Spain, a new national heat record for June was set in the town of El Granado as the mercury reached 46C on June 28.
It was also the hottest June recorded ever for the country based on average temperatures.
England too recorded its hottest June ever, and the UK as a whole its second hottest since records began in 1884.
Mainland Portugal experienced its hottest June day on record at 46.6C on June 29 in the town of Mora.
June 30 marked the hottest June day for France since temperature measurements began in 1947. Heat warnings covered almost the entire mainland at one point for the first time in history, described by the country's ecology minister as 'unprecedented'. People were told to avoid going outside between 11am and 6pm.
'Extreme heat is no longer a rare event — it has become the new normal,' UN secretary-general António Guterres wrote on X. 'The planet is getting hotter and more dangerous — no country is immune.'
In direct response to the heat, Intrepid Travel has permanently removed some trips from its peak European summer schedule, including active itineraries in Spain and Portugal in July and August this year.
'That's a major change for us, and it's rooted entirely in traveller safety,' Mr Mitchell said.
'Across our European trip offering, we're working to redesign trips for climate resilience.'
One example in Croatia is taking travellers to Dubrovnik's iconic City Walls outside of the busiest 10am to 3pm window — 'opting for cooler evening visits when the crowds have eased,' Mr Mitchell explained.
'We've also expanded our shoulder and off-season portfolio with trips like 'Highlights of Italy in Winter', which runs from November through March to showcase cities like Rome and Florence at their quietest.
Adjusting sightseeing habits in consideration of the heat is advice shared by Mr Kavanagh.
'If you are heading somewhere hot, remember the basics; wear sunscreen, stay hydrated and consider doing most of your sightseeing later in the day after lunchtime,' he said.
'The days are longer in Europe with the sun setting at around 9pm, so you have time on your side.'
Intrepid Travel reported 151 climate-related incidents that impacted its trips across the world last year — double the previous year.
'It's clear this isn't a blip,' Mr Mitchell said. 'The way forward for us is small-group, locally-led, seasonally sensitive travel.'
The company is trying to replace internal flights with train travel, and small boats over cruise liners to reach smaller destinations, he said.
'We now have carbon labelling across 800 of our trips, helping travellers to understand the emissions footprint of their itinerary,' Mr Mitchell said.
'Done responsibly, we believe travel can be a force for good within communities and destinations.'
So far this year, Intrepid Travel says it has recorded 34 climate-related incidents that have impacted trips.
Avoiding mass tourism
Tourists are not only eager to escape the extreme heat, but the crazy peak season crowds.
Popular destinations across the world have been desperately trying to find new ways to cope with a massive boom in tourism post-Covid and avoid the trend dubbed 'overtourism'.
New taxes and fees have been introduced, caps have been put on visitor numbers, and new hotels and short-term rentals have been banned.
Tourists have been urged to get off the beaten track and explore destinations outside the hotspots, or travel at less busy times of the day and year.
There was a huge anti-tourist protest day across cities in Spain, Italy and Portugal on June 15 where frustrated locals took to the streets with water guns, smoke bombs, signs, megaphones, marching and chants.
Tourists are now not just choosing to travel off-peak to appease angry locals, but because they are also fed-up with the massive crowds themselves.
'We're shifting away from over-saturated hotspots to quieter, lesser known places,' Mr Mitchell said of Intrepid Travel's tours.
For example, Positano on Italy's Amalfi Coast is being swapped for Minori, and Croatia's Mljet Island is being included on trips instead of Hvar.