‘Coolcation’ trend heats up as travellers flee rising temperatures
As global temperatures continue to rise, a new travel trend is gaining momentum: “coolcation”, or holidays designed to escape extreme heat.
The trend reflects changing travel behaviour as tourists move away from sun-soaked beach breaks and seek cooler destinations with more comfortable weather and outdoor activities.
The shift comes amid intensifying global warming.
Over the past 50 years, the average global surface temperature has risen faster than during any other 50-year period in at least 2,000 years, especially since 1970.
According to the Copernicus Climate Change Service, February ranked as the fifth-hottest February on record.
Experts expect temperatures to keep rising in line with worsening climate change, prompting more travellers to look for destinations where they can avoid heat, crowds and uncomfortable weather.
To mark Earth Day, Trip.com Group said searches for coolcation destinations have risen 74 per cent since the start of this year compared with the same period in 2025.
The trend is expected to grow further during the summer travel season. Between June and August 2025, searches for coolcation destinations surged 237 per cent compared with the same period in 2024.
Trip.com’s travel community platform, Trip Moments, also recorded a 15.4 per cent year-on-year increase in content about cool-weather summer destinations and “heat escape” travel tips.
Popular keywords included “escape the heat”, “summer escape” and “cool-weather summer destinations”, showing that travellers are increasingly looking for less crowded places with more pleasant weather.
As climate change reshapes travel preferences, cooler destinations are drawing stronger interest from global travellers, especially during summer.
In Europe, flight searches to Iceland, Norway, Slovenia, Switzerland and Wales have risen clearly compared with the same period in 2025.
Iceland, where the average summer temperature is around 11 deg C, has seen popularity increase by 85 per cent year on year.
Tours in Iceland and Norway are also attracting more attention, as travellers seek cold-weather activities such as sea fishing, fjord cruises and glacier hiking.
A similar trend is emerging in Asia, where cool-weather destinations such as Inner Mongolia, Sapporo and Yunnan are gaining popularity.
Yunnan, with average summer temperatures of around 23 deg C to 25 deg C, is drawing interest for its scenery, mountains and cool climate. Flight searches to Kunming, Yunnan’s largest city, rose 44 per cent year on year.
Package tours covering Kunming, Lijiang, Shangri-La and nearby natural attractions are also becoming more popular. THE NATION/ ASIA NEWS NETWORK