Coolement in trend: German flee north from the summer heat!

Coolement in trend: German flee north from the summer heat!

Finistère, Frankreich - travelers show a growing interest in cooler holiday destinations, since increasing heat waves in the south stimulate the search for more pleasant temperatures. The FEWO-DIREKT holiday platform has determined an increase of 15 percent when inquiries for four-week stays compared to the previous year. A particularly high search queries record moderate climates, with a remarkable increase in bookings in Scandinavian countries. Searches for Sweden have increased by 30 percent, and even 35 percent for Denmark. The trend of "CoolCation" plays a central role in this, since hotter summer appears more and more in Europe. On the Baltic Sea, the demand for 28 nights was 105 percent above the previous year, for Brittany even 160 percent.

like the Freie Presse reports, many Germans tend to book along the Baltic Sea and the Atlantic Coast. The still moderate living costs in Germany and France compared to Scandinavia also play a role in the choice of travel destinations. The data is based on searches for stays in July and August 2025, which were recorded between January 1 and April 30, 2025.

The development of the travel trend

The trend "Coolcation" describes the increasing need to escape summer heat by traveling vacationers to cooler places. Despite this positive trend towards northern travel destinations, the Mediterranean with countries such as Spain, Greece and Turkey remains the preferred holiday destination for Germans. Aage Dünhaupt, spokesman for TUI Germany, emphasizes that millions of Germans travel to these popular holiday regions every year. According to the tour, however, there is no significant change in travel behavior, even if the Nordic countries gain popularity. The "Coolcation" trend is considered a niche trend, not as a mass movement.

The booking figures show that the Mediterranean remains the most popular destinations. Cruises in cooler areas gain popularity, with half of the "Mein Schiff" fleet of Tui Cruises driving north from North German ports in the summer. AIDA Cruises has positioned eight out of eleven ships in German port and is planning a total of 290 trips to Northern Europe for the summer of 2025.

The influence of climate change on tourism

climate change and tourism are in a close interrelation. According to a report of the Federal Center for Political Education , tourist activities are heavily weather-dependent, and global warming has direct influence on the future of travel. Forest fires, changed precipitation patterns and extreme weather symptoms threaten tourist regions, especially in the Mediterranean and in the Caribbean. The increase in sea level presents coastal destinations with great challenges.

In addition, tourism itself is an important cause of greenhouse gas emissions, with transport and gastronomy being the main factors. Pandemic has disclosed weaknesses in the previous tourism system and has shown the need for more sustainable tourism. Strategies for reducing emissions, including switching to climate -friendly modes of transport, are inevitable, and state interventions for emission reduction are expected.