Tourists flee Europe’s heat regions and discover the summer resorts

2023-08-14 19:11:01

Beach near Naples

The column of smoke does not come from the nearby volcano Vesuvius, but from forest fires.

(Photo: dpa)

Istanbul, Athens, Paris, Madrid, Rome It looks as if southern Europe has measles: Whether in Sicily, Corsica or Cyprus – there are red dots everywhere. And every point is a fire. A look at the EU Commission’s Copernicus satellite maps shows increased fires in Portugal, Greece and southern France.

Heat waves have been raging in southern Europe for weeks, and cities like Rome reported new heat records in July. On the Greek islands of Rhodes and Corfu, tens of thousands of people had to leave their hotels and homes because of the fires. Most recently, Palermo Airport closed for several days – there were flight cancellations and delays.

All of this should also have long-term consequences for tourism, which is one of the largest economic factors in southern Europe. “A vacationer who has experienced a heat wave or water shortage during their vacation is very unlikely to return,” says Carlos Cendra of Mabrian Technologies, a Spanish data specialist.

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