Scotland and other northern European countries are becoming increasingly popular tourist destinations as a growing number of travelers seek to avoid the extreme heatwaves, wildfires, and droughts affecting southern Europe. This phenomenon, dubbed the "coolcation" trend, is reshaping summer tourism across the continent.
James MacLeod, a concierge at the Glencoe House Hotel in the Scottish Highlands, has observed a distinct shift in visitor attitudes. "People used to come to the Highlands and say, 'it's beautiful – shame about the weather'. Now they're coming for the weather," he noted. He added that tourists no longer seem deterred by conditions like rain or midges, expressing gratitude for temperatures that are not excessively hot.
Early data supports this emerging trend. According to the European Travel Commission (ETC), visitor numbers to northern Europe—defined as Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Ireland, Norway, Sweden, and the UK—increased by 10% from April to June of this year compared to the same period in 2025. The ETC reported that this region "outperformed all other European subregions."
Travel platforms are also reflecting this shift. From January to April of this year, searches for cooler holiday destinations for the summer rose by 74% on travel agency Trip.com, as travelers actively sought out locations with more comfortable climates to escape the heat. Similarly, the European holiday-rental group Awaze reported a three-fold increase in searches for "escape the heat" and a more than four-fold increase for "coolcation" in the past three months.
Within the UK, the holiday rental website Cottages.com has seen its Scottish portfolio emerge as the most viewed this summer, underscoring the growing appeal of Scotland as a desirable destination for those seeking respite from warmer weather.
This trend suggests a significant alteration in traditional European summer travel patterns, driven by the tangible impacts of climate change on weather conditions across the continent.