Popular vacation destinations hotter than advertised

The temperatures in popular vacation destinations around the Mediterranean Sea are much higher than they were 30 years ago. However, that is typically not reflected in the climate information of holiday brochures, meaning that Dutch tourists often face extreme heat without warning, RTL Nieuws discovered when checking the climate data of several travel organizations.

The broadcaster found incorrect climate data at almost all major travel organizations in the Netherlands, including TUI, Sunweb, Cornendon, and D-reizen. The meteorological institute KNMI confirmed the findings.

This summer, over 50 locations in Southern Europe have measured maximums of 40 degrees Celsius or higher. That happened in Greece, Southern Spain, and several countries in the Balkans. But the new climate information has not found its way onto holiday websites.

For example, TUI’s information about the Spanish Malaga says that, in the summer, temperatures “sometimes” top 30 degrees. In reality, the temperature in the Spanish city now exceeds 30 degrees on about 75 percent of the days in July and August. The average maximum temperature in July is now over 32 degrees.

D-reizen’s information about the Greek capital, Athens, says the city is known for its pleasant climate, with temperatures “around 25/30 degrees” in the months of April to November. The current average maximum in Athens in July and August is 33 to 34 degrees. Maximums have climbed above 35 degrees on about half of the days in July and August in the past few years. Two weeks ago, the Acropolis in Athens was closed for the second time this year when temperatures topped 40 degrees.

Heatwaves around the Mediterranean are increasingly uncomfortable and sometimes even dangerous to your health. Consumers need to be informed about that, climate researcher Karin van der Wiel of the KNMI told RTL. It is especially important to realize that the degree or two hotter than in the ad may not seem like much, but it involves an average. In practice, temperatures often spike much higher.

In the most recent report of the UN Climate Panel IPCC, the Mediterranean region is listed as a “hotspot” where climate change is happening relatively quickly. That is because the soil there is very dry, Van der Wiel explained. An area that has little water or moisture cannot release some of its heat to the water, so the air temperature shoots up sharply.