Europe’s intense summer heat has done little to curb interest from Asian travelers, according to travel industry data and executives cited in the report. Instead, demand for European holidays has stayed firm, with travelers continuing to book trips across the continent even as temperatures climb above 40 degrees Celsius in parts of Europe.
Trip.com said searches by Asian travelers for European destinations increased 57% year on year during the July-August travel period, while the share of searches turning into bookings also improved. France, Italy and Spain remained the most booked European destinations on the platform, showing that traditional favorites are still drawing steady interest despite the weather.
Northern Europe is drawing more attention
At the same time, the report points to a broader shift in how Asian travelers are spending in Europe. Flight bookings to both Southern and Northern Europe rose by more than 30% from a year earlier, but hotel bookings in Northern Europe doubled, suggesting that cooler destinations are taking a larger share of itineraries. Travel advisers said interest in Scandinavia has been building over the past two to three years, helped by a growing number of luxury hotel openings across the Nordic region.
Luxury agencies also reported rising inquiries for Norway, Iceland, Finland and the Dolomites, with many travelers now asking for “somewhere cooler” rather than naming a specific place. That trend appears especially strong among travelers from Singapore and Hong Kong. Even so, Southern Europe remains popular among affluent travelers, particularly Italy and Greece, according to the report.
Broader spending forecasts and airline data also suggest demand remains healthy. Euromonitor International expects outbound travel spending to Norway and Finland to rise among Chinese and Singaporean travelers in 2026. Singapore Airlines said its passenger load factor on European routes in June was 85.5%, while Korean Air said it has not seen a visible demand hit from the heatwaves. Travel companies added that most European holidays are booked well in advance and that they have not seen widespread cancellations or major itinerary changes tied to the extreme temperatures.
Source: cnbc.com
