Climate crisis: how it affects the Greek summer

Heat waves which affect the countries of Europe and in particular the Mediterranean basin due to the crisis and climate change, They are now becoming more and more common, which affects tourism.

Tourists now face a new situation, with visits to warmer Mediterranean countries plummeting in 2023 amid record heatwaves and wildfires, as milder destinations become increasingly popular, experts told CNN.

The recent deaths and disappearances of tourists in Greece, which showed a common pattern of people going out amid high temperatures to go hiking, including British television presenter Michael Mosley, who was found dead, are indicative of the situation. in Symi.

A challenge for Southern Europe is the adaptation of tourists

Mary Betty Walsh, a tourist from Texas, thought she was used to high temperatures because her hometown of Dallas, which currently suffers from unrelenting heat, often experiences heat waves, but she was surprised by what she lived in Greece.

The 21-year-old traveled to Athens in mid-June with her friends and, as she told CNN, she was shocked by the “unbearable” 37 degree Celsius heat she encountered .

“I actually had no idea how hot it was until we arrived, which was a surprise,” he said.

“I always joke that I have a very high tolerance for heat. I bring my sweatshirt with me to class in August (in the United States),” he added, while noting that the apartment he lived in had no air conditioning and the temperatures were very high. during the day to discover the city on foot.

“Our energy levels were lower than we thought they would be. It was quite unbearable to walk in the heat,” he concluded.

As CNN points out, the extent to which the travel industry and tourists can adapt to the growing impacts of climate change is becoming a growing issue for southern European countries, many of which rely on tourism to boost their economy.

Climate crisis changes the tourism map

In fact, many believe that weather conditions could now further fuel this northward shift, as extreme heat events influence vacation decisions.

Recent high temperatures have put the climate crisis front and center for some European vacationers.

“The climate crisis that we feared would happen in 10 or 15 years is already here in some parts of the world. That’s what’s scary,” Roo Clark, 28, from Suffolk in eastern England, who currently lives with his girlfriend on the Greek island of Skyros, told CNN.

“Five years ago, my friends and I didn’t even talk about it (climate change), but now it’s more and more a topic of conversation,” he added.

“They need time to adapt to the heat”

Temperatures in Greece are expected to hover around 30 to 35 degrees Celsius over the next two weeks, a few degrees above the summer average, according to CNN meteorologists, with the exception of one to two days of rain, which will keep temperatures at low levels.

Greek authorities have repeatedly warned tourists not to underestimate the intense heat, especially during the day.

Stefanos Sidiropoulos, who runs Greece’s largest travel agency specializing in outdoor activities, said tourists should not jump straight into the activities.

“People who come from northern Europe or Canada, places where the temperatures are colder, it’s more difficult for them. They need time to adapt to these conditions,” he told CNN.

The impact of climate change on tourist holiday destinations will have serious consequences for some countries that depend on income from travellers.

In Greece, tourism represents almost 38 billion euros, or around 20% of the country’s total economy, according to the World Travel and Tourism Council.

In Italy, where level three heat warnings – the highest – were recently issued for the cities of Rome, Perugia and Palermo, tourism accounts for 10% of the country’s economy, according to the latest figures, while one in eight jobs is linked to industry.

“Tourists forget when they book their next vacation”

After Europe’s summer 2023 heatwave, which saw thousands flee wildfires on the Greek island of Rhodes, concerns about climate change among European travelers increased by 7%, according to the Commission European Travel Association (ETC), a non-profit association responsible for promoting tourism. Europe as a travel destination.

This follows a decline in interest in holiday destinations in the southern Mediterranean between the summers of 2022 and 2023, with cooler destinations such as the Czech Republic, Bulgaria and Denmark becoming more attractive, ETC said at CNN.

“Travelers are increasingly aware of extreme weather events and their potential impact on their vacations,” ETC CEO Eduardo Santander told CNN, adding that in the future this could lead to more travelers visiting southern Europe in the spring and late fall instead of the warmer summer months.

For now, Santander said tourists’ concerns about climate change tend to be relatively short-lived. “Travelers worry after the summer, but tend to forget about these events when they book their next vacation in the spring,” he said.

Insects and mosquitoes

Extreme heat is one of the consequences of climate change affecting tourist hotspots across Europe. But there are others.

Warmer conditions caused by climate change are pushing populations of disease-carrying mosquitoes to new areas of Europe, according to the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).

Clark specifically said mosquito numbers were very high during the heatwave in early June.

“We were absolutely stuffed. There was no air and even though we were sprayed, they still found a way,” Clark told CNN. “It was definitely the low winds and high temperatures that caused it,” he added.

A key species of mosquito capable of transmitting dengue, chikungunya and Zika viruses, called Aedes albopictus, has been detected in several European countries, including Greece, Italy, Portugal and Spain, according to the ECDC.

Andrea Amon, director of the ECDC, said travel can help expand the species’ range. “Increased international travel from dengue-endemic countries will also increase the risk of imported cases,” she said in a statement.

Last year, the ECDC recorded 130 cases of dengue fever in Europe, compared to 71 cases in 2022.

No cases of dengue fever have been reported in Europe this summer so far, the ECDC told CNN, but based on past summer trends, they expect the first cases to be reported in the coming weeks.

A human case of West Nile virus infection, transmitted by the Culex pipiens mosquito, was reported in March in the province of Seville in Spain, according to the ECDC.

Travel industry must consider adapting to climate change

Last summer’s record high temperatures around the world were caused by a combination of human-induced climate change and the return of the natural phenomenon El Niño, which is causing global temperatures to rise.

The combination has pushed temperatures to record highs in parts of Europe, the fastest warming continent on the planet.

But even if the impact of El Niño wanes, experts say the long-term trend of global warming will continue.

“Climate change is tipping the balance toward more extreme events that happen more often and then become more severe,” Rebecca Carter, director of climate change adaptation and resilience at the World Resources Institute, told CNN.

She added that large numbers of tourists in parts of Europe are putting pressure on already strained local authorities as they struggle to protect residents from high heat and protect visitors.

Carter said the travel industry needs to think about adapting to climate change. “It’s something I don’t think the travel industry is thinking about as much as it should,” he said, adding that booking rules could be relaxed for flights and hotels, for example.

“When people plan these trips, it’s weeks or months in advance, and you can’t predict when a particular location will experience extreme heat,” he added.

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