With the summer holidays fast approaching, many Brits are preparing to flock to popular Mediterranean beaches for their annual getaway.
But growing concerns over extreme heat and wildfire risks are prompting some families to change course.
According to Paul Charles, founder of luxury travel consultancy The PC Agency, countries like Finland are seeing a rise in demand during peak periods.
While the Mediterranean remains a firm favourite, Mr Charles says some Brits are choosing milder climates, driving interest in traditionally cooler spots.
“There’s no doubt these countries are seeing more British people visiting in July and August and are busier in the summer holidays,” he said.
But “people still want to holiday in hotter destinations and a lot of people have holiday homes there too, so they will carry on going.”
It comes as emergency services on the Greek island of Crete continue to battle a rapidly spreading wildfire which has prompted evacuations of hotels and homes along the coast.
Authorities ordered evacuations at three locations outside the port city of Ierapetra on the island’s southern coast early Thursday.
So far, more than 1,500 people have been forced to leave their homes, many of which were reportedly damaged as flames — driven by strong winds — raced through forested hillsides.
Meanwhile, wildfires have been raging for four days in Turkey. More than 50,000 people have been evacuated from five regions, including more than 42,000 in the city of Izmir.
Mr Charles said there will be some families who question whether they should continue visiting hotter destinations or whether they should consider travelling off-peak, but overall, people are not being put off from going abroad.
When asked about industry trends, Mr Charles said “flights have never been busier out of the UK.”
“A million more people will go away from the UK this year than last year so we are seeing record numbers of people travelling this summer who are determined to get away.
“For many travellers, occasional problems like wildfires, heatwaves or traffic control strikes are being factored into planning. I think they have realised that they come part and parcel with the holiday now.
“But it is not putting people off travelling. The question that keeps coming up is where are they going to, and you are starting to see small numbers of people trying different destinations.
“I don’t think the trend of British holidaymakers going to the Mediterranean will reduce sharply because they want guaranteed warmth. There are plenty who still want that and they will travel whatever the risk and temperature.”
The Blackstock family from Kent are among those opting for a staycation this year instead of travelling overseas. The family-of-six usually visit Spain but said it is becoming increasingly difficult to cope with the extreme heat.
Chiropractor Dean Blackstock said: “We thought we’d try and go to somewhere like Turkey where it’s probably a little bit more of a tolerable heat as opposed to that dry intense heat that we seem to be getting across Europe at the moment, but then we learned about the wildfires there.”
“It’s becoming more difficult for people to plan ahead for these sorts of holidays because not only are you battling the heat, but you’re battling the chance of having wildfires,” Mr Blackstock said.
“I think if it was just my partner and I, we would probably still go, but the thought of being stranded somewhere with kids at the end of a holiday or being told you can’t leave when we obviously have commitments with work and dogs.
“It’s just another consideration that we never used to really have years ago.”
