Southern European tourists flock to Denmark to escape the heat

22.08.2024 - 07:52 / euronews.com

With rising temperatures in southern Europe, more and more tourists are flocking to cooler destinations in the north.

Denmark, in particular, has become an increasingly popular choice for those looking to escape the scorching summer heat.

According to the recently published report from DMI, the official Danish meteorological institute, the national average temperature of July 2024 was 16.2C.

For much of southern Europe, high temperatures tell a very different story.

Italy has been enduring nearly constant heatwaves since mid-June, with parts of the country experiencing record temperatures exceeding 40C. France has also faced several days of high-temperature alerts, with temperatures soaring over 30C across the country last week.

Amid the bustling crowds in Copenhagen's iconic Nyhavn, it's not uncommon to catch snippets of French, Spanish, and Italian, as tourists from across southern Europe flock to the city with its cooler climate.

Sagrario, normally a resident of Madrid, stopped by in Denmark on a cruise ship tour in Scandinavia with her daughter.

“In Madrid, we've had a heat wave for three straight weeks with temperatures of minimum 30C and maximum temperatures of 40C,” Sagrario’s daughter Sofia said.

Copenhagen's hospitality industry, which traditionally caters to tourists from northern Europe and the United States, has noticed a significant increase in visitors from southern Europe.

“We definitely see a big increase in southern European tourism. It's France, it’s Greece, it’s Spain, and Italy,” Karim Nielsen, the CEO of Kolpin Hotels which owns Hotel Sanders in Copenhagen, told Euronews.

“And that increase we have seen that coming for the last 5 or 6 years but the last two years it has been increasing a lot. And, here at Hotel Sanders, we normally have something like 80 per cent Americans, but that number is actually decreasing a little bit. And we see especially from Spain and Italy, we have approximately 10 per cent of our occupancy from southern Europe now. That's a quite big increase from formal numbers from 3-4 per cent” Nielsen added.

Nielsen attributes this increase to southern European guests seeking cooler weather in the north.

South Zealand, about 80 kilometres outside Copenhagen, is an emerging destination for those looking for a cool summer vacation.

“The trend for southern European guests coming to Denmark started around three years ago. Last year we really saw it. And this year, I’d use the word extremely high. And it has gone from maybe 5 per cent to 30-35 per cent of our guests,” Filip Rasmussen, the owner of Jungshoved Præstegaard, a traditional Danish B&B in Præstø, said.

Rasmussen noted that while a new agreement with a French travel agency has contributed to this increase, there has also