Extreme heat drives growing demand for cooler holiday destinations
Airline, search, and insurance data point to changing travel patterns as UK travellers increasingly favour Northern Europe over traditional summer hotspots
Extreme heat, wildfires, and other travel disruptions across Southern Europe are beginning to influence where travellers choose to holiday, with new data from airlines, travel platforms, and insurers indicating growing demand for cooler destinations.
According to The Independent, citing data from travel search platform Kayak, searches for cooler destinations have risen sharply year-on-year. Searches for Ottawa increased by 166%, while Salzburg, Aberdeen and Glasgow also recorded significant growth. The newspaper also reported that travel insurer Staysure saw a 24% increase in policy sales for trips to Norway during the first half of 2026, lifting the country from tenth to seventh in its destination rankings, while policy sales for Iceland rose by 18%.
The trend is also reflected in travel insurance purchasing. The Independent highlighted that Staysure’s policy sales for trips to Norway increased by 24% during the first half of 2026 compared with the same period last year, while Iceland recorded an 18% rise.
According to a survey commissioned by the insurer, 58% of UK travellers said they would be more likely to choose a destination less exposed to extreme heat this summer.
“Heat is making people think more carefully about where and when they travel, and what they check before paying,” said Simon McCulloch, Chief Growth Officer at Staysure. He added that travellers should review policy wording carefully, noting that extreme heat alone did not automatically provide grounds to cancel a trip.
The findings come during another summer marked by severe heatwaves and widespread wildfires across parts of France, Greece, and Spain, prompting mass evacuations, transport disruption, and the temporary closure of popular tourist attractions.
Airlines are also reporting changes in booking behaviour. Speaking to the Financial Times, Air France-KLM Chief Executive Ben Smith said the airline had seen its biggest recent shift in demand among European travellers moving away from destinations affected by extreme heat and wildfires in favour of Northern Europe.