New Zealand, Greece, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Iceland, Albania See A Shift In Travel Trends As Tourists Adjust To Climate Change

Sunday, August 3, 2025

New Zealand, Greece, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Iceland, and Albania are experiencing a displacement successful recreation trends arsenic visitors progressively set their plans successful consequence to nan increasing impacts of ambiance change. Rising temperatures and utmost upwind events crossed Europe are prompting travelers, peculiarly from New Zealand, to activity retired cooler, little crowded destinations during enarthrosis seasons alternatively of nan accepted summertime peak. As ambiance concerns grow, visitors are opting for outpouring and autumn travel, wherever they tin bask milder upwind and debar nan aggravated power that has go much communal successful celebrated destinations for illustration Italy, Spain, and Greece. This alteration reflects a broader displacement towards much sustainable and climate-conscious recreation choices.

A world recreation institution operating successful New Zealand has announced a important displacement successful its European circuit offerings, moving immoderate trips retired of nan highest summertime months. This alteration comes successful consequence to nan increasing concerns of New Zealand travelers astir nan progressively terrible and disruptive upwind patterns crossed Europe.

Recent information from Southern Cross Travel Insurance (SCTI) shows that astir three-quarters of New Zealanders now see recreation security to beryllium much important owed to nan effect of ambiance change. The insurer reported a striking lawsuit wherever a family claimed complete \$25,000 successful accommodation and formation costs aft their flights from Tokyo were canceled owed to nan Auckland Anniversary floods successful 2023. The floods caused Auckland Airport to unopen down, causing important disruptions to recreation plans.

This heightened interest has led nan recreation institution to make operational changes. Popular European destinations for illustration Italy, Spain, and Portugal, traditionally booked during nan summertime months, are nary longer nan first prime for galore travelers. Instead, much visitors are opting for outpouring and autumn recreation erstwhile nan upwind is milder and nan crowds thinner.

One New Zealand traveler, presently successful Greece, described nan heatwave successful Athens arsenic emotion “like being successful an oven.” His group managed to sojourn nan Acropolis conscionable a time earlier nan tract closed owed to utmost temperatures. During nan hottest portion of nan day, astir group stayed indoors aliases sought shade. The streets only began to capable again aft 6 p.m. erstwhile temperatures dropped.

To reside these concerns, nan institution has decided to set its circuit schedule. Some of its tours to nan Iberian Peninsula will now return spot successful nan enarthrosis seasons of April, May, and September, alternatively than during nan highest summertime months of June to August. The institution is besides tweaking its itineraries to sojourn celebrated attractions earlier aliases later successful nan time erstwhile nan upwind is cooler and crowds are smaller.

More than half of nan travelers booking tours to Southern Europe are now choosing nan enarthrosis seasons. While destinations for illustration Italy, Spain, and Portugal stay highly popular, travelers are progressively seeking to sojourn successful outpouring aliases autumn, avoiding nan sweltering summertime power and ample crowds. This displacement successful recreation behaviour reflects nan increasing request for cooler, little crowded destinations.

The rising temperatures person been alarming. June 2025 marked nan hottest period connected grounds for Western Europe, pinch immoderate cities experiencing temperatures supra 40°C. Wildfires person besides ravaged parts of Greece, North Macedonia, and nan Balkans, creating moreover much challenges for travelers. One Kiwi traveler, presently successful Albania, reported seeing wildfires connected nan hills during a coastal thrust and witnessing firefighters battling nan flames. Though temperatures person dropped to astir 30°C, nan power is still manageable compared to Athens’ scorching temperatures.

The wave of utmost upwind events has besides led to an summation successful security claims. Insurers are noticing a emergence successful claims related to climate-related disruptions. One awesome insurer confirmed that events erstwhile considered “one-in-a-hundred-year” occurrences—such arsenic floods and wildfires—are now happening much regularly. SCTI paid retired complete \$593,000 for claims related to cyclones, fires, floods, and heatwaves betwixt July 2024 and July 2025.

In consequence to these disruptions, much travelers are becoming diligent astir their recreation insurance. One family’s declare highlighted really formation cancellations, caused by nan Auckland floods, led to a three-week hold successful their return home. The family’s business worsened erstwhile their rebooked formation was besides canceled owed to Cyclone Gabrielle.

Changing booking patterns bespeak a displacement successful really New Zealanders attack travel. Bookings for September departures to Europe person surged, pinch early September becoming nan busiest play for New Zealand travelers. Cooler and little crowded destinations are seeing a important emergence successful bookings, prompting nan institution to unfastened a caller agency successful Copenhagen to grip nan expanding request successful Northern Europe. Iceland, for example, saw a 46% summation successful bookings, while countries for illustration Serbia, Estonia, and Bosnia & Herzegovina besides knowledgeable a notable uptick.

Bookings for Italy successful nan enarthrosis seasons person risen by 16% successful nan past year, signaling a broader displacement successful really group are readying their trips. This inclination helps dispersed tourism much evenly passim nan year, benefiting some nan travelers who bask a much relaxed acquisition and nan section communities that use from a steadier travel of tourists.

Extreme upwind disruptions proceed to impact everything from formation schedules to cruise itineraries, prompting insurers to promote travelers to scheme ahead. Policies whitethorn not screen cancellations aliases disruptions if adverse upwind conditions were already known anterior to departure. As a result, security providers impulse travelers to cautiously reappraisal their sum options earlier embarking connected trips.

Instead of discouraging recreation to regions affected by utmost weather, nan institution is adjusting its attack to travel. By focusing connected mini group tours led by section guides, nan institution intends to guarantee a affirmative acquisition for travelers while besides supporting nan communities they visit. The extremity is not to extremity walking but to accommodate to nan changing ambiance successful a measurement that benefits everyone involved.

New Zealand, Greece, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Iceland, and Albania are seeing a displacement successful recreation trends arsenic visitors progressively opt for enarthrosis play recreation to flight rising temperatures and utmost weather. This alteration reflects a increasing consciousness of ambiance alteration and nan desire for cooler, little crowded destinations.

As climate-related events proceed to effect travel, nan institution expects that concerns astir utmost upwind will play an moreover greater domiciled successful recreation readying moving forward. By embracing a much flexible, climate-conscious attack to tourism, nan institution hopes to create a exemplary that tin thrive successful an progressively unpredictable world.