How is climate change affecting our holidays?
Climate change is leading to an increase in extreme weather events, such as wildfires and heavy rainfall, in popular holiday destinations. Health risks will play a role in travel decisions in the future: more short breaks, a preference for cooler regions, or more spontaneous travel are possible consequences.
Professor Markus Pillmayer from the Department of Tourism at HM is conducting research into this topic.
To what extent are extreme weather events already affecting the tourism industry?
It varies. Here’s an example: due to the wildfires on Rhodes in the summer of 2023, the tour operator TUI had to fly numerous holidaymakers home earlier than planned. The costs incurred by the evacuations amounted to around 25 million euros. This is a large corporation. Most international tour operators are small or medium-sized businesses and would be unable to bear such high costs.
To what extent can the tourism industry play a more active role in addressing the challenges posed by climate change?
The industry has various options for taking action: on the one hand, by offering alternative modes of travel; on the other, by providing more services that focus on climate neutrality or climate positivity. Travellers themselves should realise that their individual travel habits also contribute to climate change – whether for better or for worse.
What choices can I make to help make tourism more climate-friendly?
By consciously choosing destinations and travel options that are committed to climate-friendly travel. This includes how often I travel each year, how I get there, and how long I stay at each destination. All these factors play a part in my carbon footprint.
How can a more conscious choice when travelling actually bring about positive change in terms of environmental protection and sustainability, rather than simply being a short-lived trend?
There are now various ways to calculate your personal carbon footprint online. We need to realise – or come to realise – that we, as individuals, can and should also play our part in reducing CO₂ emissions.
What would be the risks of increased demand for cooler holiday destinations? What are the potential long-term consequences?
If international travel volumes return to pre-pandemic levels and we continue to see rising numbers of arrivals and overnight stays, which then shift or concentrate towards cooler holiday destinations, potential long-term effects could include: rising prices due to increased demand, reduced availability whilst supply remains constant, or crowding effects resulting in a greater concentration of travellers in cooler holiday regions.
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