Brits swap holidays in Spain for trips to Scandinavia

Brits swap holidays in Spain for trips to Scandinavia as southern Europe is hit by unbearable temperatures and raging wildfires 

• British tourists are swapping heated Spain for cooler Scandinavia this summer
• Holiday companies have seen a spike in interest for trips to Nordic countries

British tourists are swapping Spain for Scandinavia this summer as heatwaves cause unbearable temperatures and raging wildfires.

Holiday companies are seeing a huge increase in interest for trips to cooler countries in August, including Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Latvia and the Netherlands.

Searches for hotels in Copenhagen, known for its city beaches and refreshing harbour pool, have seen a 34 per cent increase compared to August last year, according to holiday booking giant Expedia.com.

Oslo has also seen a 45 per cent increase, while Stockholm is also proving popular, with searches for hotels in August increasing by 29 per cent. The Swedish capital has an archipelago of 30,000 islands with charming villages and sandy beaches popular for activities such as kayaking, swimming and hiking.

Searches for hotels in Copenhagen, known for its city beaches and refreshing harbour pool, have seen a 34 per cent increase (Pictured: Nyhavn, a canal lined with colourful houses in central Copenhagen)

Stockholm is also proving popular, with searches for hotels in August increasing by 29 per cent

Elsewhere, the Latvian city of Riga, where temperatures reached 27C this summer compared to the highs of 45C experienced in Spain, has seen a 47 per cent increase.

Closer to home, there has been an increase in interest in summer holidays to the Scottish Highlands (41 per cent) and the Isle of Man (38 per cent).

Flight search engine KAYAK said it was seeing a similar trend, with Amsterdam becoming its most searched for destination for holidays in August and September this year.

Other destinations in its top ten include Dublin, Belfast and Stockholm. The only typically ‘hot’ destination for summer holidays to be featured in the list is Istanbul. Visit Finland, meanwhile, said flight bookings to the Scandinavian country from London between July and September had increased by 23 per cent compared to the same period last year, while flight bookings from Newcastle had increased by 28 per cent.

Parts of southern Europe have endured three intense heatwaves this season, with temperatures hitting 45C in parts of Greece, Italy, France and Spain.

Thousands of Britons were evacuated from the Greek island of Rhodes last month amid raging wildfires. An Expedia spokesman said: ‘UK travellers are searching for colder destinations this summer much more so than they were last year. This could be due to their milder summer weather, offering a refreshing escape from the heatwave we’ve seen this season in southern Europe.’

The CEO of the world’s biggest holiday company TUI last week predicted Belgium and Poland could became the next top destinations for British tourists seeking to avoid extreme temperatures.

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