Europe's too hot, too crowded; Could this be the end of Australia's Mediterranean holiday dream?
Heatwaves and overtourism are prompting Australian travellers to ditch the traditional July-August European summer. Travel companies report a significant shift towards cooler, quieter months like April, May, and September. Bookings for peak season destinations like Italy and Croatia are down, while off-season demand surges, indicating a rapid adaptation to climate change and overcrowded hotspots.
Reuters Climate change and overtourism push Aussies to abandon peak summer travel. (File Photo) Australians are turning away from the traditional July-August Mediterranean escape as heatwaves and overtourism reshape travel across Europe. For the first time, more Aussie travellers are choosing cooler, quieter months like April, May, and September, a shift travel companies say is happening far sooner than expected.
Melbourne-based Intrepid Travel reports that 55 per cent of its Europe-bound customers now prefer the shoulder season over the peak summer stretch.
Also Read: Obese and want to lose weight? Wegovy is not the long-term answer, according to leading weight loss surgeon'I thought we had five to ten years before this trend hit the mainstream, but climate change has accelerated everything,' said Brett Mitchell, the company's Australia and New Zealand managing director.This summer, Europe has seen record-breaking heat. Spain hit 46°C in June, its hottest June on record. Portugal and France followed with similar highs, and England recorded its hottest June ever. Health warnings, wildfires, and even fatalities have raised concerns among tourists. UN Secretary-General António Guterres recently called the heat 'the new normal' and warned that no country is immune to the rising risks of climate change.
In response, Intrepid Travel has cut certain summer itineraries altogether, especially active tours in southern Europe during July and August. Some experiences are being rescheduled to cooler times of day, such as evening walks on Dubrovnik's city walls in Croatia.
Yes, overcrowding may be another key reason Australians avoid the peak European summer. Destinations like Italy, Greece, and Croatia are struggling with overtourism. In some places, locals have taken to the streets in protest.Flight Centre also confirms that more Australians are opting for shoulder-season trips. 'We're seeing 'Euro Summer' stretch from May to late September,' said the company's global leisure CEO, James Kavanagh, to news.com.au. Northern Europe, including Finland, Norway, and Greenland, is also gaining popularity for its cooler climate and unique experiences.The numbers show a clear shift. Intrepid Travel says bookings for Italy's peak season are down 72 per cent year-on-year, while off-season bookings have jumped 166 per cent. In Croatia, peak demand dropped by 19 per cent, with off-peak bookings up 179 per cent.Search data from Booking.com shows interest in Paris, Athens, Lisbon, and Milan is now highest in September, a sign that travellers are adjusting their schedules to avoid the heat and the crowds.Probably not in the near future, as tour operators are also adapting according to the new norm. Intrepid has introduced 'climate-resilient' itineraries, reduced reliance on flights in favour of trains, and added carbon labelling to 800 trips. The company recorded 151 climate-related incidents affecting its tours last year, twice as many as the year before.'We're shifting away from over-saturated hotspots to quieter, lesser-known places,' Mitchell said. For example, Positano is being replaced by Minori on Italy's Amalfi Coast. On Croatia's coast, Hvar is giving way to the more peaceful Mljet Island.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
5 hours ago
- Time of India
Despite flyover construction ending, Silk Board in Bengaluru struggles with air pollution
Bengaluru: The Central Silk Board junction, notorious for traffic snarls, is now battling another crisis — alarming air pollution levels. Despite the completion of a double-decker flyover meant to ease congestion, pollution in the area remains dangerously high. Statistics from Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) show a sharp decline in air quality over the past few years. While the June and July 2025 data are awaited, the May numbers have already raised concerns. On May 22, an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 192 was recorded at Silk Board — close to the "poor" category. India classifies AQI from 101-200 as moderate, but several countries, including the US, Australia, Japan, Singapore, and the European CAQI (Common Air Quality Index) system, classify this range as poor. You Can Also Check: Bengaluru AQI | Weather in Bengaluru | Bank Holidays in Bengaluru | Public Holidays in Bengaluru On Oct 25, 2024, AQI in the area spiked to 283, signalling serious health risks. For comparison, Delhi and Gurugram — India's most polluted cities — routinely cross 200 between Oct and Feb. Though the Silk Board area hasn't reached the levels of the National Capital Region, AQI figures consistently above 100 in the first five months of 2025 are worrisome. These levels persist even after the flyover construction ended, largely due to traffic congestion and vehicle emissions. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like She Took 1 Teaspoon Before Bed – Her Belly Was Gone in a Week Hollywood News | USA Click Here Undo "We don't have strong restrictions on what kinds of vehicles run here. A huge chunk of old, non-BS-6 vehicles are still on the roads, including black autos," said Aishwarya Sudhir, a Bengaluru-based air pollution researcher. She also pointed to the construction boom as a major contributor. "If you drive towards HSR, you'll see many buildings coming up. Construction disrupts air quality and adds to pollution." At Silk Board, the dominant pollutant is PM10 (particulate matter 10), mainly from dust, industrial smoke, construction, and combustion. Though PM2.5 is considered more harmful, doctors warn that PM10 also poses health risks, especially for those with heart or lung conditions. "PM10 still poses a risk in high concentrations or with long-term exposure. Many PM10 samples contain PM2.5 too," said Dr Rahul Patil, a cardiologist. The World Health Organization recommends "a 24-hour PM10 limit of 45 μg/m³". In May, Silk Board recorded an average of 109.3 μg/m³, with a peak of 238.1 μg/m³. Bengaluru has only 11 continuous air quality-monitoring stations, making detailed tracking difficult. With Metro construction ongoing and vehicle numbers rising, experts say relief is unlikely anytime soon. GFX AIR QUALITY INDEX DATA (HSR Layout, near Central Silk Board monitoring centre) * Jan 20, 2025: 153 * April 19, 2025: 154 * May 31, 2025: 157 * March 27, 2025: 163 * Feb 14, 2025: 182 * May 16, 2025: 191 * May 22, 2025: 192 * Oct 25, 2024: 283 (Highest in last 12 months) GFX 2 AQI categorisation Good: 0 – 50 Satisfactory: 51 – 100 Moderate: 101 – 200 Poor: 201 – 300 — Source: KSPCB
Time of India
10 hours ago
- Time of India
Spain floods: Two people missing as torrential rainfall strike Spain; warnings issued in 25 provinces
Representative AI image Extreme weather conditions continue to rock Europe as severe floods and thunderstorms have struck popular holiday destinations in Spain, while Britain experiences another heatwave over the weekend. Two people were missing on Saturday after torrential rain and floods hit Catalonia, in northeastern Spain, reports DW. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez urged people to practice 'great caution' and 'avoid travelling' amid the intense downpour. 'Very attentive to the situation in several communities with warnings for heavy rain and storms. Personnel from @/UMEgob are already collaborating in municipalities of the Riberta Alta del Ebro. Follow civil protection instructions and avoid travel. Take great caution,' his post on X read. Spain was hit with severe storms and hail alerts after 100mm of rain fell in just one hour at a popular tourist spot. Locals and visitors faced disruption as the State Meteorological Agency (AEMET) issued weather warnings across 25 provinces, including eight under the more serious orange alert, as reported by The Sun. AEMET placed Huesca, Teruel, Barcelona, Zaragoza, Girona, Lleida, Tarragona, Castellón under orange alerts for intense storms. Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Harvard-Arzt: Einfache Küchenzutat hilft besser gegen geschwollene Beine als Wassertabletten Mehr erfahren Undo by Taboola by Taboola The Ebro riverbank in Tarazona of Zaragoza province was hit with nearly 100mm of rainfall in just an hour on Friday and was subsequently put on red alert. The agency warned that up to 50 litres of rain per square metre could fall across much of Aragon and Catalonia, potentially triggering local flooding and causing ravines to overflow. No casualties have been reported as of yet but local rescue teams have been notified of 30 flood-related incidents with blocked roads and vehicles being swept away. On Saturday, Renfe, Spain's rail company, temporarily halted operations across Catalonia on Saturday, reported DW. In October last year, flash floods claimed the lives of over 205 people in the Valencia region of Spain. The rain storm, similar to the one currently ongoing in the country, is caused by a weather phenomenon known as DANA in Spanish or 'cold drop' (Isolated Depression at High Levels), where a mass of cold air descends over the warmer Mediterranean waters.
Mint
15 hours ago
- Mint
Rags to Riches from Rome to the China Seas
The hot Roman summer sun can ignite daydreams and, a few weeks ago, while visiting a friend at an art gallery on the Via Giulia, I walked by the nearly half-a-millennium old Palazzo Sacchetti and pondered the fate of the families who owned it, lost it, sold off parts of it and passed into history. My colleague Adrian Wooldridge has written columns about contemporary European and Italian dynasties and their effective stewardship of family businesses. But my thoughts were all about the romance of declines and falls — and what lessons there might be for today. The musings took me from Rome across 6,000 miles to the south China coast and a little beyond. I've never been to Zhangli village in Fujian province, just outside the city of Quanzhou, which the Venetian merchant Marco Polo described as one of the world's greatest ports in the 13th century. I'm not taking you that far back in time, just to the middle of the 19th and the construction of a set of 23 red brick mansions, arranged along five rows and spread across 16,300 square meters became lords of a commercial empire of their own, encompassing a sprawling bazaar in Manila as well as farming, forestry and construction interests. Also known as Chua Chengco, my great-great-grandfather was dubbed 'Mariano Velasco' by the colonial administrators who hoped the 'honor' would tie him — and his money — even more closely to the regime. Because there was a local Spaniard with the same name, he was referred to as Mariano Velasco el Chino. Still, it kind of worked: To this day, around the world, there are scores of Velascos of Chinese descent very proud of their Spanish apellido. I like to think of Spain as one of my 'old countries' — along with China and the Philippines. The money, however, has long dissipated. The Zhangli village property — built with repatriated wealth and exotic material from the family's plantations in the Philippines — needs both conservation and renovation. The provincial government would like to turn it an open-air museum. But that requires financing, and there really isn't a paterfamilias among the existing Velascos to take charge of the legacy. In fact, tracking what became of the Velasco wealth is a genealogical headache. In terms of business, there is a department store that can claim some descent from the old bazaar. The physical house that Velasco built in Manila may actually have been larger than the Zhangli complex, but it has vanished. With his two wives, Don Mariano had nine sons; and inherited assets diminished as they were divided among succeeding generations. Add in the depredations of the Spanish flu pandemic, the Great Depression, the Pacific war that left Manila a charred wreck… Sic transit gloria mundi. The Velascos are a chapter in the long sojourn of the Chinese in Southeast Asia, escaping poverty and chaos in the Middle Kingdom to win prosperity and influence in a new world. The historical experience involves questions of assimilation and integration as I've noted in a previous column. Some of the lessons are rags-to-riches sagas familiar to every culture. For example: A huge fortune will be hostage to many heirs, even if a clearly documented will exists. When the Indonesian industrialist Eka Tjipta Widjaja — born Huang Yicong in Quanzhou, China — passed away in 2019, some of his children sought control of the corporations he founded in addition to what had been left to them from his estimated $9.3 billion fortune. Sometimes, the feuds break out even before the dynastic founder is gone, as evidenced by the father-son battle in Singapore's Kwek family. It remains to be seen whether this age of 'high net worth family offices' — an industry that's growing dramatically among rich ethnic Chinese families — can discipline the human drive to bag the biggest inheritance. Most Chinese migrants learned that life in a new country was better with new names. Most didn't wait — as I assume Mariano Velasco did — until the authorities realized their worth and rewarded them with a culturally integrated moniker. They just took what they thought would help them with their prospects and careers, just as F. Scott Fitzgerald had James Gatz transform into Jay Gatsby in his famous novel about social climbing. They chose names that looked less foreign, that sounded more like the languages of their adopted lands. Hence, Huang became Widjaja in Indonesia. In the Philippines, the businessman Carlos Palanca — whose surname now graces the country's most prestigious literary award — was originally Chen Liulai . In the late 19th century, the Fujian-born migrant cadged the name of a Spanish diplomat who'd been briefly assigned to Manila a couple of decades before and wasn't around to contest the steal. Palanca's wealth was founded on a distillery that also had a distinctly Iberian name, La Tondeña . They also learned to avoid politics — there's a long history of xenophobic riots and massacre against foreign-born merchants who order locals around or who are perceived as a threat to the prevailing status quo. Indeed, the political dynamics of contemporary Malaysia are based on racial tensions among the native Malay and the descendants of Chinese and Tamil migrants. That didn't mean that rich Chinese families didn't support politicians. Often, they supported all the major parties simultaneously, spreading their bets to cover all eventualities. They preferred to be kingmakers rather than kings. And so, many ethnic Chinese clans look askance at the billionaire and former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra as he and his clan are rocked back and forth by political controversy stirred up as they try to dominate Thailand. In Singapore, while the political legacy of founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew is nowhere as turbulent , the family honor was still stained by an unseemly squabble among his heirs over a house he left them. That's spilled over into politics, with the ambitions of Lee Hsien Yang — who says he has won political asylum in the UK — now aimed at his older brother and former prime minister Lee Hsien Loong. Aiyah, as they say in Singapore. In the Philippines, ethnic Chinese still shy away from personal involvement in politics. Being too closely tied — even as a financier — to politicians is risky. The plutocrat Lucio Tan was an influential player in the administration of Philippine President Joseph Estrada, but that didn't save the billionaire from scrutiny after Estrada was ousted in a civilian coup in January 2001. Still, many descendants of Chinese migrants in the Philippines do engage in politics. For the most part, that's because they're members of the Chinese mestizo class — which, from generation to generation and every intermarriage, is less and less Chinese. The most successful example is the sprawling Cojuangco family, a clan founded by an immigrant from Fujian who made his fortune in sugar. The family's most famous politicians were Corazon Cojuangco Aquino and her son Benigno Aquino III, both of whom held the office of president. I have politicians in my family now. I'm particularly proud of my first cousin Josefina 'Joy' Belmonte, who is in her third term as mayor of Quezon City, a constituency of nearly 3 million people. Our grandmother — our mothers' mother — was the Velasco. For the Chinese, mestisaje is a poignant survival mechanism: preserving one's genes but slowly forgetting the ways of one's ancestors. I hope to one day visit Zhangli village and see what's left of the estate of Mariano Velasco. I wonder if my thoughts will then turn to Rome and the the Palazzo Sacchetti. There are echoes. It was designed by its first owner, a man named Antonio Cordiani. He'd grown up poor in Florence and moved to the city of the popes to apprentice with his uncles. Eventually he took their surname — Sangallo, which is still what Romans call the street by the Tiber next to the palazzo. The house didn't stay in his family for long. The building still stands. But the people who lived in it and their riches have faded away. It's almost Chinese. More From Bloomberg Opinion: The name-changes did not prevent calumnies. There is one theory that Don Mariano was the basis for the greedy and manipulative Chinese merchant Quiroga in El Filibusterismo, a novel by Jose Rizal, the Philippines' national hero. News reports of the anti-Chinese pogroms in California and the western US states as I noted in this column reinforced the anxieties of Chinese in Southeast Asia. This column reflects the personal views of the author and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners. Howard Chua-Eoan is a columnist for Bloomberg Opinion covering culture and business. He previously served as Bloomberg Opinion's international editor and is a former news director at Time magazine.
