Climate changes may reverse Europe’s tourist destinations

Climate changes are constantly progressing. Scientists, ecologists and politicians have for many years warned of global warming, but it seems that some European countries may profit from the environment’s changes, the newspaper Gazeta Wyborcza reported. According to recent scientific studies by Doctor Christos Giannakopoulos from the Institute of Environmental Research and Well-Balanced Development in Athens, countries like Greece, Turkey or Croatia, currently best-ranking tourist destinations, are likely to become unbearably hot in future summers.

Dr. Giannakopoulos predicts that in coming decades, Mediterranean countries will experience heat waves and extreme temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius. Every decade the temperature will rise between 0.3 and 0.7 degrees Celsius with likely occurrences of extreme weather episodes such as droughts, fires, thunderstorms or windstorms. This year’s heat wave especially affected Greece, Croatia, Bulgaria, Bosnia, Macedonia and set records in Romania, where temperatures exceeded 45 degrees Celsius at the end of June. Over sixty people died in Greece during terrible heat-sprung fires. Not surprisingly, tourists may prefer calmer and safer places to take their vacations. Winter tourism will also be affected by the climate changes. The ski season will be shorter and mountains more dangerous as increasing snowfall and higher temperatures cause dangerous avalanches and glacial reduction.

Of course the climate change will vary from region to region throughout Europe. In Europe’s northern countries, at the moment less attractive to tourists, temperatures are predicted to rise. Countries still considered “too cold” may become perfect destinations for summer tourists. Most desirable temperatures for the average tourist hover around 21 and 22 degrees Celsius. Polish beaches are beginning to compete with Western Europe’s as perfect destinations to avoid the scorching heat. Great Britain and Normandy can expect more tourists as well.