Travelers avoid summer hotspots in favor of cooler climates

Baby boomers and first-time travelers seem to be driving what is called “squeak” trends. This avoids European peak summer hotspots in favor of cooler climates such as Scandinavia and the Baltic.

The extreme summer heat is combined with costs and overcrowded concerns, affecting where people have chosen to go on vacation.

For some, the appeal of booking trips to Mediterranean destinations such as Italy, Greece and Spain in July and August has lost its glow.

Instead, it appears to be prioritizing summer trips to Northern Europe to escape the fierce heat.

“We saw Southern Europe be full of popularity if we return after the pandemic in 2022, even in the summer of 2023,” brave travel CEO James Thornton told CNBC on a video call.

“It felt like everyone had to go back to the Mediterranean, Italy, Greece, Spain, Spain, because they had no chance for several years to do it. What happened was crowded, it was crowded, it was often expensive, and you had a variety of natural challenges — often you had a variety of natural challenges,” Thornton said.

“The one we saw in the opposite direction was 2024, and now in 2025, the demand for people who want to travel to their summer peaks in July and August will be cooler to their destinations in traditionally Northern Europe,” he added.

For UK customers, Thornton said travel bookings to Iceland, Estonia and Scandinavia increased by 50% between July and August, and bookings to Southern Europe have shifted into shoulder season.

Bookings for brave trips to Italy from April to June and September to October were 16%, but bookings in Greece for each period increased by 37%.

However, reservations to Southern Europe fell 15% between July and August, Thornton added that he expects the trend to last for the next few years.

“The summer holidays to Southern Europe look like numbers,” Thornton said.

In particular, the two biggest drivers in this year’s coolmation trend are the baby boomers born between 1946 and 1964, and first-time travelers between 18 and 35 years old, Thornton said.

“Growth brings so much from baby boomers in their 50s and 60s, so children have left homes, their mortgages paid off, more free time to go out and see the world, and perhaps not affected by the cost of living,” Thornton said.

“The second group is actually on the other side of the scale. This is first time travelers. So for these people, they are younger in their careers and are driven by the reality of their possessions and home ownership.

Rome, Barcelona and Athens are usually among the most popular summer destinations in Europe. However, the swelling situation in Southern Europe has been a major blow to the summer travel season.

Last year, Europe endured the warmest summers on record, and campaigners warned that record-breaking heat in March could burn harsh heatwaves and wildfire conditions over the coming months.

Jenny Southan, CEO of Globetrender, one of the world’s leading travel trend forecasting agencies, said he expects a more calm trend to strengthen as the impact of climate change gets worse and unpredictable.

“The ‘cooling’ trend reflects conscious decisions by an increasing number of consumers to avoid the most intense summer heat and wildfires that occur in certain parts of the world each year,” Southern told CNBC.

“For example, we move in spring and fall, whereas in July and August we choose places like Norway or Finland that are more milder, but we move in spring and fall,” she added.

For Northern European countries such as Sweden and Estonia, the fast-growing trends represent economic opportunities.

A spokesman for the Marketing Company Visit said he visited Sweden, but said that while calmness may be seen as a “new driving force”, it remains difficult to say whether they are the main reason for the rise in tourism.

“There are a lot of driving forces when deciding on holiday types and holiday destinations. There are no exact numbers on the size of the trend or where it came from. If the trend continues, it’s still in the early stages,” the visit to Sweden said.

The Estonian Tourism Commission said it was “certainly welcome” to pursue a cooler climate and to pursue a holiday.

“We consider this a more long-term trend, as other factors and temperatures are likely to affect consumer behavior. For example, there is an increased desire to overtourism at some popular resorts and to escape to more peaceful places and reconnect with nature,” Estonia’s tourism director told CNBC.

Rep says he doesn’t expect a mass movement of travelers seeking a traditional sunbathing beach vacation to book a trip to Estonia.

Globetretender’s Southan said one of the benefits of travelers seeking milder temperatures during peak summers is to stop overcrowding in areas previously flooded by tourists.

“It’s a chance to reset and recalibrate the economy annually, for four months (as is true in Ibiza and many Greek islands), for example, they find ways to attract travelers throughout the year, provide a more sustainable revenue stream and reduce pressure on infrastructure,” Southan said.

Over the next few years, Thousand said most people will try to leave where they live when it gets hot.

“The sun is no longer something to worship,” Southern said.