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Climate: extreme weather changes european:
Climate risks
The extreme weather transforms the European tourism card
A study identifies the European tourist areas most exposed to extreme climatic phenomena. However, The goal is to support vulnerable regions.
Thunderstorms. In addition, like this on the island of Cres, can spoil the holidays and, in extreme cases, represent a danger.
Imago Images/Teamwork
- A new study highlights the vulnerability of popular EU holiday destinations to extreme weather phenomena.
- The south of the Aegean Sea, between Athens and Crete, is particularly threatened by thunderstorms, heavy rains and forest fires.
- In dolomites, in northern Italy, thunderstorms are the most climate: extreme weather changes european frequent, with some 500 hours identified each year.
- The tourism exposure index helps the authorities to plan emergency measures.
In Greece, forest fires are increasingly reaching tourist centers. For example, At the beginning of July, more than 1,500 people had to be evacuated hotels and villages in Crete. Nevertheless, Last week, the flames even reached Athens. For example, As for Northern Italy. Similarly, it had already suffered violent bad weather before Easter, so that meteorologists have not recommended the region to tourists.
These few examples illustrate The impact of weather conditions extremes on tourism. However, A team of researchers led by Stefan Gössling. Moreover, tourism specialist at Western Norway Research Institute in Sogndal (Norway), analyzed what popular European tourist destinations are particularly vulnerable to forest fires, persistent torrential rains and violent thunderstorms. For example, This study was climate: extreme weather changes european published in the specialized journal «Natural Hazards».
It notably reveals that the region most exposed to thunderstorms is in northern Italy, along the southern Alps. Nevertheless, In dolomites, in particular, up to 500 hours of stormy activity are recorded each year. Moreover, The Dinaric Alps, which extend from Croatia to Albania, also have a strong stormy activity.
Until 500 hours of thunderstorm per year on the three peaks of Lavaredo, in the Dolomites.
Imago
The most intense. Similarly, lasting precipitation is recorded in Norwegian fjords, with levels also high in the Southern Dinaric Alps, between Montenegro and Albania.
The Iberian Peninsula presents the most conducive conditions for forest fires. Therefore, with a rate of 200 to 250 days at risk per year. In addition, From Italy to Greece, this number also amounts to 100-150 annual days.
Climate: extreme weather changes european
The tourist exhibition index
These extreme phenomena weigh heavily on tourism, particularly in very frequented destinations. Researchers therefore first evaluated the economic dependence of tourism regions. like Crete, much more visited than the isolated fjords of Norway. To quantify this climate: extreme weather changes european reality, they created an index of dependence on tourism.
Damaged house after a forest fire in Crete on July 4, 2025.
Ayhan Mehmet/Imago/Agency Anatolia
By combining this index with that of extreme weather events. they established the heart of their study: the tourism exhibition index (TEI). The latter measures the economic impact climate: extreme weather changes european of climatic vagaries on tourist destinations. Thus. Norwegian fjords, because of their low attendance, no longer appear in this ranking, while several Mediterranean regions appear to be particularly vulnerable.
According to the study. the south of the Aegean Sea, between Athens and Crete, is a particularly exposed popular tourist destination. This region has three dangers: thunderstorms, intense rains and forest fires, which systematically earned it a very high tei index. The Ionian islands, further east in the Mediterranean, are affected by two of these risks: thunderstorms and extreme rains. A high risk of fire Combined with high tourism attendance mainly concerns Balearic, Crete and Algarve in Portugal. In addition. many storms accompany intense tourism in the southern Tyrol, the Trentino, the Aosta Valley as well as along the Croatian Adriatic coast.
“This study is climate: extreme weather changes european relevant. because it draws attention to a subject that becomes more and more urgent: extreme weather events and tourism,” explains Susanne Becken, a sustainable tourism professor at Griffith University in Australia, who did not participate in the study. “If these events are increasingly making the front page of the media. there has so far been any scientific study analyzing them systematically.”
According to Susanne Becken. the study nevertheless leaves certain unanswered questions: what part of these extreme meteorological phenomena is attributable to climate change? What damage do they cause? And to what extent are tourists really affected?
Climate: extreme weather changes european
A useful tool for disaster management
For Susanne Becken. the study is especially useful for tourist destinations: “This allows them to better aware of the risks and act proactively,” she explains. “When high climate climate: extreme weather changes european risk regions welcome intense tourism. it is essential that local authorities and actors in the sector have effective alert systems and suitable management plans.”
The main author of the study. Stefan Gössling, stresses that the tourist exhibition index primarily concerns public authorities and tourism professionals: “How to organize an evacuation in extreme situations, as during a fire?” And are there rescue plans for supply in the event of strong precipitation, whether it is rain or snow? ”
For Stefan Gössling. the travel sector should rethink its long -term investments and think about how to make regions particularly vulnerable less dependent on weather conditions. “We can imagine many solutionsranging from activities provided in the event of rain to insurance to cancel a. trip in an emergency. ”
Switzerland, which is not part climate: extreme weather changes european of the EU, has not been included in this analysis. However, the results remain relevant to its nationals traveling in other European countries. Susanne Becken does not expect that travelers modify their vacation projects due to an increased risk of thunderstorms. forest fires. Stefan Gössling nevertheless recalls that “it is always advisable to remain informed in a context of climate change. Subscribe additional insurance in risk areas or take the necessary precautions deserves to be envisaged. ”
According to the study. the next step would be to extend the tei to other regions and, if necessary, to integrate a seasonal variation of the clues. “It would also be desirable to better understand how the risks will intensify in certain regions because of climate change. ” explains Stefan Gössling. Additionally, “We must keep in mind that many regions are strongly dependent on tourism. It is climate: extreme weather changes european essential to offer a resilient offer, which remains attractive despite climate change. ”
In the past, the issue of safety security dominated tourism debates, recalls Stefan Gössling. “But in the future. we will also talk about too hot seas, the proliferation of algae or the spread of problematic organizations such as jellyfish, invasive sea urchins or pathogens that can question seaside holidays.”
Translated from German by Elisa Andrade.
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