Summer in northern Europe and spring/autumn in southern Europe

Climate change is causing higher temperatures in Spain and other southern European countries. According to several Spanish and international newspapers, this is already affecting tourism. An international study reveals that there is an ongoing shift as more tourists flock to central and northern Europe during the hot months, which is hurting countries like Spain as more tourists travel again in the spring and autumn due to the pleasant temperatures.

A report by the Joint European Research Center (JRC) showed that if the temperature rose by three or four degrees Celsius, tourist numbers in the southern coastal regions would drop by about 10% in the summer. On the other hand, in such a scenario, Northern European coastal destinations would attract about 5% more tourists during the summer and early fall.

According to the same report, in southern regions, such as Spain, the decrease in visits in summer will be somewhat offset by more tourists in other seasons, such as the spring, autumn and winter months.

In 2022, 34% of all tourist nights in the European Union were during July and August, with the seasonal peak most evident in countries such as Spain, Croatia, Greece, Bulgaria, Italy and France, according to Eurostat figures. However, the obvious shifts in tourism are already noticeable. According to the JRC, the number of people who planned to spend their holidays between June and November in countries such as Greece, Spain or Portugal decreased by 4%.

a possible solution It could be the change of the summer season or the distribution of holidays throughout the year. This is already being applied in countries such as Belgium, where school summer holidays have been shortened to accommodate more weeks of holidays in other parts of the year. Can this be applied in other countries? This will be a challenge for Spain. Adjusting the summer season will require major restructuring and will not only affect tourism, but also many other economic and social sectors. As is known, children in Spain spend three months of summer vacation, something so woven into Spanish culture that it is difficult to adjust.