âWe want freshness. » A phrase heard many times this summer in the face of the episodes of heatwave which hit France, and part of Europe, to the point of anticipating a rush towards the north from next summer. A likely scenario? âWeâve been announcing this for at least twenty years, and finally, Spain is breaking attendance records year after year,â says Didier Arino, general director of the Protourisme consultancy.
If certain destinations were impacted by these heat waves, in particular âdry destinations, without coastlines or lakesâ, the heatwave did not have a deterrent effect on vacation departures. âIt even accelerated them in certain cases, particularly for those who could no longer bear being in their apartment in the cities,â believes the expert.
âForeign customersâ are there
Didier Arino evokes a âcontrastingâ 2026 summer season in France. According to the director of the Protourisme office, slightly fewer French people left this summer, and shortened their stay, with âmechanically fewer tourist nightsâ. But âthis decline was partly offset by an influx of foreign customersâ, coming from Asia or North America, but also from Europe. As well as by âthe 800,000 French people who were considering going abroad and ultimately gave upâ.
As for the heatwave, as we have seen, it did not really have a deterrent effect, on the contrary. Nearby coastal areas, as well as the countryside and the mountains, benefited from these last minute departures linked to oppressive heat. But for the expert, the south has not suffered, with cities like Marseille, Nice, Cannes and La Grande-Motte which even performed well. Overall, there should be âa small drop in overnight stays in July-August, with more foreign overnight stays and fewer French overnight stays. »
âIt will accelerate the tropism towards the coastâ
Faced with the repeated heatwaves observed this summer, can tourists change their plans? Or even go for freshness in northern Europe? Certain destinations, such as the mountains, the Bay of Somme, Normandy, or the CĂŽte d'Opale, could actually become more attractive, due to their proximity to emitting basins, their freshness, and/or more attractive prices, believes Didier Arino. âBut they will not abandon the south of Europe, there will be no collapse. Spain, Greece and Morocco continue to progress even though these countries are experiencing repeated scorching summers. »
On the other hand, whether in housing or in tourism, âit will accelerate the trend towards the coast. » Between 42 degrees in the city, versus 32 degrees in the nearest seaside resort, tourists should decide in favor of the cooler option. Just like for⊠air conditioning, which will be considered from next summer as an important criterion for choosing housing. More generally, tourism stakeholders will have to adapt to these heatwave episodes, whether rental companies, traders, or even restaurants, among the most impacted this summer.
But even more, the specialist sees it as âan opportunity to spread out the tourist seasonâ, with tourists preferring to leave in June or September to escape the heatwaves. Between (slightly) more popular destinations and stays booked outside of summer holidays, this spread of flows over time and space could already slightly modify the summer tourism map - but not disfigure it.
