How extreme weather could force travellers to revamp their vacation plans —
A recent trip to Europe marked a first for Amanda Jacobsmeyer as she travelled in the summer rather than during a cooler time of year.
“It was very hot,” said Jacobsmeyer, a New Yorker who visited northern Italy, southern France and Monaco over eight days in July.
In Monaco, the mercury went high enough for a fellow traveller in Jacobsmeyer’s tour group to reveal that she and her family would skip a week-long stretch of their trip due to temperatures stretching past the 30 C mark.
“I’m far too cheap to cancel a vacation I’ve already paid for,” said Jacobsmeyer, who nonetheless sees logic in having a limit when it comes to heat.
Europe has seen multiple waves of sweltering heat this summer, topping records in some cases. Parts of the continent have faced severe drought conditions — and wildfires have torn through forests and forced people to flee homes, campgrounds, and resorts.
Travel industry experts say the continent has dealt with bouts of extreme weather in the past, but these challenges have the potential to shift where and when people travel as they become more frequent amid our changing climate.
Having to adjust
In southwestern France this week, firefighters were trying to quell a major wildfire in the Gironde region — just like they were last month. The country is now also facing its worst-ever drought and fourth heat wave this year.
Frédéric Dimanche, director of the Ted Rogers School of Hospitality and Tourism Management at Toronto Metropolitan University, said the country has dealt with wildfires in the past — particularly in the more fire-prone south — though not with the combined scale and frequency of the problems this year.
“The consequences of those fires seems to be greater than ever before,” said Dimanche, who’s originally from France and keeps up with the news there.
Unused to high temperatures, the United Kingdom is grappling with how to adjust to this summer’s extreme heat. As the temperature rises, so does the demand for air conditioning in U.K. homes.
He said it’s too soon to tell how tourists will make their vacation plans in future, but some tourism operators are signalling they will be making adjustments.
Dimanche heard an interview with the owner of a campground destroyed by a recent fire near Arcachon, France.
The owner planned to rebuild his facility, with an eye toward a more environmentally sustainable setup. But he was optimistic about the future.
“Never in this interview was there talk of giving up,” said Dimanche. “He is still counting on people to come back next year.”
Heat, yes. Too much heat, no
Dimanche said this part of France and the…
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