Extreme heat and coolcations, Italians set sights on Eastern Europe and Northern Spain

Extreme heat, muggy weather, heatwaves: weather forecasts tell us that the African anticyclone is about to abandon Italy (at least in the North and the Po Valley) with the arrival of thunderstorms and scattered rainfall, but the risk of experiencing more days like the last ones this summer is certainly not over. The solution? Travel to cooler destinations. It is no coincidence, therefore, that Northern Europe is rapidly becoming a reference destination on the global tourism map, whether for the wonder of the Northern Lights, for its uncontaminated nature, or to escape the heat. Norway, Sweden, and Finland are at the top of the list of preferences for many vacationers, and according to Statista, the Scandinavian tourism market is set to grow by about 3% a year until 2029, for a total value of over 22 billion dollars.

Italians are obviously also looking for temperate destinations to avoid the heat, and a survey conducted by eDreams on 9,000 travellers from different countries (including ours) to analyse the influence of weather conditions on travel plans has revealed which destinations are most sought after by Italian holidaymakers for the summer season. Eastern Europe is at the top of the list (in terms of growth in the number of searches carried out compared to 2024) and Slovakia (+181%), Lithuania (+55%) and Poland (+45%), in that order, lead this special ranking. While Belgium and the United Kingdom are confirmed as countries with a certain appeal, those dreaming of living a true Nordic experience instead look to Norway, Estonia and Finland. Among the most sought-after cities compared to last summer, Rouen stands out (+80%), followed by the two symbolic cities of Scotland, Glasgow and Edinburgh, but the driving force is above all the Spanish destinations overlooking the Atlantic, from Bilbao to La Coruña, passing through Oviedo and Santander.

The eDreams study also highlighted another ongoing trend linked to the climate, whose influence goes beyond the choice of destination and is becoming increasingly important for the choice of the ideal period to leave. In fact, one in four Italian travellers declares that they have started to prefer the mid-seasons to avoid extreme heat and enjoy milder temperatures, while one in five plans their holidays by actively evaluating the weather conditions, even at the cost of giving up the traditional August holidays. Young people tend to be more influenced by the weather factor, with only 23% of 18-24 year-olds not having been affected compared to 48% of over-65s, and they are also the most inclined to travel during the mid-seasons (35% do so). However, it is not only Italians who change their habits depending on the weather: Germans are in fact the biggest supporters of mid-season travel (a consolidated habit for 29% of German holidaymakers) while Portuguese and Americans (29% and 28% of cases respectively) are particularly careful in selecting the most suitable period to find good weather. Finally, the propensity to change travel plans is also increasing in relation to the probability of finding extreme weather conditions, and therefore heat waves, storms or floods. Two out of three Italians say they are ready to change their plans and willing to pay a premium to leave with clear skies on the horizon, but Spanish travellers are even more susceptible to the vagaries of the weather: 79% are ready to adapt their holiday in the face of extreme weather conditions and in 43% of cases even when the “last minute” change of itinerary involves additional costs.