Extreme weather is already forcing almost a third of travellers to change holiday plans

Extreme weather is causing travellers to rethink their holiday plans as many are actively avoiding destinations that are more prone to harsh weather events, a new report has revealed.

Recent devastating extreme weather, from flash flooding in Spain to destructive winds in Florida due to Hurricane Milton, have left communities in ruin and have claimed the lives of many, some of which are also popular tourist destinations.

Spain saw the death toll reach over 200, while many more remain missing as local authorities continue the search and try to pick up the pieces after torrential rain battered the eastern Spanish coast last week.

Insights from the World Travel Market Global Travel Report released this week revealed that 29 per cent of travellers have avoided visiting a destination in the past 12 months due to concerns with inclement or extreme weather.

Travellers aged between 18 and 34 are more likely than the average person to avoid destinations exposed to extreme weather, with more than two in five (43 per cent) admitting they have reconsidered where they want to travel to.

Some have already opted to take ‘coolcations’ to places in northern Europe and Alaska instead of destinations that may face extreme heat.

Wildfires, flooding and global warming are widely accepted to be the fault of climate change, with evidence suggesting that extreme weather events will only become more frequent as climate change progresses.

However, despite many making a conscious decision not to travel to areas historically impacted by extreme weather, only a narrow majority (53 per cent) of travellers say that they attempt to minimise their carbon footprint while travelling.

Nearly two in three (65 per cent) also acknowledge that travel has a negative impact on the environment, from fuel emissions from planes to more crowds potentially harming environments.

The World Travel Market’s report says that this can be combatted by travel groups and companies helping travellers make climate-friendly and sustainable choices.

However, sellers and suppliers have voiced that while they may have sustainable options, they are being held back over concerns of ‘greenwashing’, which is a practice done by some organisations to make them appear more environmentally conscious than they really are.

The report referenced research that showed 75 per cent of travellers are sceptical about travel companies’ sustainable practices.

Overtourism has also had an impact on the natural landscape and local people of areas that attract more visitors than the destination can bear, such as Venice, Amsterdam and Barcelona.

While some measures by local authorities have been taken, such as charging visitors a tourist tax and putting up signs asking people to be conscious of their surroundings, the report suggests that there has been little change in the impact overcrowding has.

Juliette Losardo, the exhibition director of the World Travel Market, said: “Travel is perhaps the industry most exposed to the climate emergency and the wider concerns around sustainability.

“These are issues which are embedded into what travellers want and how the industry operates, but the report highlights some ways in which the industry can continue to grow while maintaining its commitment to reducing emissions.

“Our role at WTM is to inform and educate, and there is a lot in the latest WTM Global Travel report which sellers and suppliers can take away and inform their own decision-making process when it comes to the climate and sustainability.”

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