Heatwaves are changing how tourists see the Mediterranean, study finds

World europeheatwavetemperaturesTop NewsTourism Heatwaves are changing how tourists see the Mediterranean, study finds 0b08a0a9 8756 4f88 9b40 9749d2fe5bed Relevant News Heatwaves are changing how tourists see the Mediterranean, study finds 7 September 2026 Limassol cop arrested after allegedly stealing scooter 7 September 2026 Fifty-two years on, Cyprus still owes its 1974 victims 7 September 2026 newsroom 7 September 2026 FacebookXWhatsAppEmailPrintViber Repeated, unusually early heatwaves starting in May and June are shaping how travellers perceive summer climate conditions across southern Europe, according to a new analysis of five Mediterranean destinations. The study, by The Data Appeal Company/Almaviva Group and reported by Insider.gr, examined Italy, France, Spain, Portugal and Greece, identifying which countries are most affected and which show more resilience. It confirms that temperature conditions influence tourism, but are not the only factor at play. The analysis uses the Perception of Climate Index (PCI), which measures travellers’ perception of a destination’s climate conditions on a scale from 0 to 100, where higher scores reflect more favourable perceived conditions. It covers the summer months of May to September in all five countries from 2023 onwards, with 2026 data analysed through July. France showed the strongest signs of a shift in traveller sentiment. While temperature changes linked to climate change are affecting tourism, as expected, they cannot on their own significantly alter a country’s overall tourist numbers, the analysis found. They do, however, serve as a useful warning sign for the need to strengthen tourism infrastructure and adapt the tourism product to new conditions, to support year-round visitor numbers at each destination. Following a summer marked by successive heatwaves that began early, with temperatures above 40C in parts of Europe, Mediterranean destinations are still strongly associated with favourable summer climate conditions, the study found. However, more frequent periods of extreme heat are affecting these perceptions in some markets. Based on the PCI’s trajectory, heatwaves still mainly cause short-term shifts in climate perception. In Mediterranean destinations, the PCI dips during periods of extreme heat and recovers once temperatures return to more typical levels. However, the 2026 results show that heatwaves that are now earlier, more prolonged and more frequent can have effects that go beyond temporary discomfort over summer conditions. Where each country ranks Among the five countries studied, France recorded the strongest impact, with the lowest PCI score of the five for May to July 2026, at 77.2. Portugal, by contrast, proved more resilient, with an overall average PCI since 2023 of 93.5. Italy ranked second for resilience on that same multi-year measure, with 91.6, followed by Spain at 90.4 and Greece fourth at 89.9. Italy also showed signs of a cumulative effect on a separate, year-on-year comparison: its average PCI was 92.2 in summer 2025, compared with 91.3 for May to July 2026, a fall of 0.9 points, though the index remains at a high level. While individual heatwaves have caused relatively limited short-term reactions in recent years, researchers found that repeated exposure to extreme temperatures is beginning to affect the overall trajectory of traveller climate perceptions. Greece’s 2026 performance is lower Greece holds an average summer climate perception score of 89.2 since 2023, ahead of Spain’s 87.2. Both countries continue to show resilience overall, though both markets recorded sharp short-term PCI swings during heatwaves, particularly when extreme conditions arrived early in the season or lasted longer. However, Greece’s 2026 performance is lower than in previous years. Portugal recorded the most stable climate perceptions among the destinations in the study, with an average PCI of 91.1 across the summers analysed, the highest score. Researchers found that familiarity with hotter summer conditions can reduce travellers’ sensitivity to heat, and that traveller expectations, beyond temperatures themselves, influence how climate conditions are perceived. Subscribe to our Newsletter Latest News Limassol cop arrested after allegedly stealing scooter Fifty-two years on, Cyprus still owes its 1974 victims Munich’s chilling echo on October 7 Israel’s Netanyahu orders removal of West Bank settler outposts, sources say At least 11 killed after avalanche hits climbers in Russia’s North Caucasus Iran says to announce new restricted zone in the Gulf in the coming days On this day: Keith Moon, drummer with British rock group The Who, died after an overdose in 1978 Follow en.philenews on Google News and be the first to know all the news about Cyprus and the world.