Why holidays in the north are trending in 2024

Marburg. Forest fires in southern Europe, temperatures above 30 degrees and overcrowded beaches in Italy and Spain have become the norm in recent years. “Coolcation” is the answer of the Swedish state tourism agency to the weather situation in southern Europe. This means escaping from the sweltering heat of southern and central Europe to vacation in the north (“coolcation” is made up of the English words for vacation and cold “cool”).

First, the US luxury and lifestyle travel magazine Condé Nast Traveller identified the holiday trend for 2024. A trend that may already have arrived in Marburg travel agencies.

Gabriele Eckardt from the Eckardt travel agency has not yet observed the trend. Holidays twenty years ago were not the same as they are today, she says: “Instead of spending two weeks lounging on the beach, people want to do something and see things.” Very few people sunbathe in Italy anymore, says Eckardt. Thanks to their long professional experience, they have been able to make a special observation over the years: when the German summer is wet and cold, the next summer holiday is often booked in the south. If there is a warm, dry summer, many people want to stay nearby for the next summer holiday. “People still want to spend long periods of time outside on warm summer evenings, but it is not possible to pinpoint exactly where that is based on travel trends,” says Eckardt. However, the aspect of climate protection is becoming increasingly important, which is why some people want to travel by train more often or no longer take long-distance trips.

Northern Europe is the “winner” of climate change

An EU study has now concluded that there is a clear connection between the changing climatic conditions in Europe and the preferred holiday destinations of Europeans. Northern regions would benefit from climate change, while southern regions would face significant declines in tourism demand.

It is therefore expected that northern coastal regions could experience an increase in demand in summer and early autumn, while southern coastal regions would lose demand. April could gain the most tourism activity in the future, while July could see the greatest disadvantage. The EU member states with the largest expected tourism boom were Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Ireland and Lithuania, each with between six and nine percent of additional demand expected if global warming reached plus four degrees.

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Holidays in Scandinavia are also particularly suitable for slow travel. This involves both the arrival and departure as well as the holiday on site, far away from mass tourism. Instead of pushing your way through Venice with the crowds, slow travelling focuses on connecting with the country, culture and local people, without any stress or long bucket lists.

What about climate-friendly cruises? After all, they are considered to be the worst polluters. The Norwegian company Hurtigruten will offer an alternative. The transport company offers cruises on the traditional Norwegian mail ship line and is overall more sustainable than its major competitors.

Escape to colder areas not feasible for everyone

By 2030, they want to add a climate-neutral cruise ship to their fleet together with a scientific institute. For good reason: From 2026, the Norwegian government will no longer allow diesel-powered cruise ships to enter the Geiranger Fjord, one of the most famous Norwegian fjords. Hurtigruten already has several hybrid-powered ships. Together with Havila, also a Norwegian shipping company, they were ranked first in terms of sustainability in a ranking by the German Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union in 2023.

Not everyone can afford to travel to cooler areas, and millions of people cannot escape the heat in their homeland. 2023 was the warmest year on record worldwide, and there were more than 47,000 heat-related deaths in Europe alone, according to the Barcelona Institute for Global Health. People in northern and central Europe are more privileged than much of the rest of the world: in India, the heat is increasingly becoming a death sentence, and camping by the Swedish sea or cruising through the fjord is no help.

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