Far from her home in Tenerife, Kati Padilla is one of the growing number of tourists who are now choosing the Scandinavian countries for their summer holidays in order to avoid the heat.

“Why leave the Canaries this summer? To escape the heat” says Padilla characteristically, although for millions of tourists Tenerife and the Canaries are considered an exotic paradise.

The 50-year-old civil servant this year decided to take a holiday in Norway – one of the countries in northern Europe that are now promoting the trend “coolcation” (from cool, cool in English, and vacation, vacation) to attract visitors to their temperate climate.

In fact, for some people the holidays on the crowded beaches of the Mediterranean are over for good. Many will henceforth prefer a dip in a lake or a fjord, to fill their lungs with fresh mountain air in a relatively secluded place.

For example, British tourist Pam disembarked from a cruise ship in Norway’s imposing Geiranger Fjord, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

She was expecting more cold but she was fine in her sandals and soft top.

“They are great. They are not so hot that you cannot walk. I’m not interested now in sitting on a deckchair, reading my book, getting up to eat and going back to the deckchair. I prefer to visit places, learn their history and admire their beautyhe characteristically said.

Bookings for “coolcation” in Voras are constantly increasing

In 2023, foreign tourist overnight stays in Norway increased by 22% and in Sweden by 11%, according to official statistics, mainly affected by the lifting of pandemic restrictions in 2022 and the devaluation of Nordic currencies.

In Germany, a survey by tourism organization Visit Sweden found that two out of five intend to change their travel habits due to the extreme heat in southern Europe, choosing either a different holiday season or destinations with cooler climates.

“Vacationing in colder climates isn’t just about the weather. They’re about traveling to places that are a little cooler, but they’re also about places that are less crowdedsays Visit Sweden’s head Susan Andersson.

For example, the capital of Lapland in northern Finland, Rovaniemi, recorded a 29% increase in overnight stays last year, according to APE-MPE.

“Here you can feel this type of summer vacation, the trend that started years ago but is increasing with the hot summers in southern and central Europe“, says Sana Karkainen, who deals with tourism in Rovaniemi.