The impact of climate change is causing a decline in once-popular summer travel destinations. Extreme heat and other effects of climate change are altering natural wonders and making it increasingly difficult to save them. As a result, travellers are reconsidering their plans and either avoiding certain hot spots altogether or visiting them earlier in the year to avoid extreme heat. Climate change is also disrupting travel itself, with extreme heat and smoke from wildfires grounding planes.
Popular tourist destinations in Italy, Greece, France, and Spain, which typically experience peak tourist traffic in July, are facing record temperatures and wildfires. This has led people to choose cooler places like Amsterdam and Copenhagen for summer travel and save the warmer countries for September or October. Coastal towns in New Jersey and Florida are also becoming unpleasant and unsafe due to “sunny-day floods” caused by rising seas.
Several iconic destinations have already undergone significant changes due to climate change. Coral reefs have declined by about 15% in the last decade, and glaciers in Glacier National Park and Mount Everest have experienced significant loss in size and ice cover. These changes not only affect the beauty and natural environment of these destinations but also pose risks for tourism activities such as climbing.
At the same time, climate change is opening up new destinations that were previously too cold to visit. Greenland, for example, is experiencing warmer temperatures and building new airports to accommodate more international flights as it sees an increase in visitors.
The impact of climate change on travel and tourism highlights the urgent need for global action to mitigate and adapt to its effects.