Vacation planning 2025: Lower Saxony chooses the hottest travel destinations!

Vacation planning 2025: Lower Saxony chooses the hottest travel destinations!

The holiday season is approaching and many people are starting to think about their next travel destinations. A recent survey examines readers' travel preferences, particularly their preferred vacation destinations and the key factors that play a role in choosing a travel destination. NWZ Online reports that, among other things, financial and time opportunities, political tensions as well as climatic changes and natural disasters influence vacation choices.

The survey, which is anonymous and only takes a few minutes, also looks at places that people would not currently travel to. The link to the survey is here to find.

Climatic challenges and their impact on tourism

Additionally, an analysis of Polaris the serious challenges facing tourism in Europe due to the climate crisis. Extreme weather events such as heat waves, floods and forest fires affect the travel plans of many vacationers. The Mediterranean region is particularly affected: it is warming around 20 percent faster than the global average, and the air temperature is already 1.5 °C higher than before industrialization.

In the summer of 2023, devastating forest fires in Greece, Portugal and Spain led to temporary closures, such as the Acropolis in Athens. There is also a water shortage in Catalonia, forcing hotels to stop refilling their pools. Greece is responding to the climate crisis with a new climate tax that will provide for higher overnight taxes in the high season from January 2024.

Changes in travel preferences

Despite the extreme weather, Spain will record a tourism record in 2023 with over 85 million foreign guests. Future trends in tourism show that Mediterranean destinations could become more popular all year round due to their attractiveness. At the same time, northern countries such as the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Ireland and Denmark are gaining popularity.

Travelers may also change their destinations at short notice, especially in hot summer months, leading to an increase in indoor options. The climatic changes have a negative impact on the tourist infrastructure and water quality, which endangers the safety of holidaymakers.

However, given these challenges, there are also alternatives to traditional holiday destinations. Many holidaymakers prefer climate-friendly trips and choose destinations in Germany, such as the Black Forest, the North and Baltic Seas or the Mecklenburg Lake District. Travel to Scandinavia is also becoming increasingly popular, while environmentally friendly train travel within Europe is being promoted.

The ongoing changes in the climate cast a long shadow over the future of travel and vacation planning. It remains to be seen how perceptions of travel will evolve in light of these global challenges.