A Matter Of Time: Will The Mediterranean Become Too Hot For Tourism?
Those of us doing our utmost to survive this summer might not be surprised to hear that as temperatures rise, Mediterranean destinations could be much more likely to lose their appeal to tourists.
According to a recent report by the European Travel Commission: “Mediterranean destinations have seen a 10% drop in visitors aiming to travel there from last year”.
“This can be attributed to travellers seeking out less crowded destinations, and milder temperatures,” stated the report.
It is important to be clear that interpretations of this data cannot be considered conclusive until several years, even decades, have passed, but this report highlighted some potential early-warning signs.
Though permanent residents and visitors alike have little choice but to learn to take precautions to decrease the likelihood of developing heat-related illnesses, the latter group has no obligation to keep coming here.
Tourists have a lot of options.
Since Malta’s foundation as an independent state, the economy has largely relied on a reliable stream of wealthy, mostly European visitors looking for sunshine, beautiful landscapes and seas abound with marine life.
17.3% of Europeans surveyed said they considered “pleasant weather conditions” to be an attractive factor when planning a trip. Heatwaves aren’t often pleasant.
Last year, for the first time ever, temperatures of 40°C were recorded in the United Kingdom. These conditions were bound to be catastrophic because the UK was utterly unprepared to handle unprecedented temperatures.
This week, a heatwave hit Malta – which affected most of the Mediterranean region – sent temperatures soaring to a record-matching July peak of 42.7°C.
Large parts of the energy system literally melted, leaving thousands without power and potentially causing hundreds of millions in economic losses.
Why would a UK-based person come to Malta to experience 40°C temperatures and systemic unpreparedness? They could save their money and do so from the comfort of their home – and they wouldn’t have to brave the EU’s most densely populated country to do so.
There will be some who still seek out sunshine with alarmingly elevated UV levels, a construction-strewn landscape so dense that one would be forgiven for thinking that construction cranes should be the national mascot, and sea temperatures rising to rival those of a freshly filled bathtub – leading to a loss of almost all life.
Others will just stop coming here altogether.
This will be intensified because amongst Mediterranean destinations facing the same rising temperatures and UV index ratings, Malta has produced a plethora of other problems for itself – and those aren’t universal.
Some will argue that the tourism industry, which has always been seasonal, will pivot so that the majority of tourists will avoid summer and come to Malta during cooler seasons.
This could partially offset the economic cost of losing tourist revenues, and if tourist visits are more evenly distributed throughout the year – rather than being concentrated in summer – Malta’s infrastructure could potentially be better prepared to receive them.
Adapting well to that would require planning.
It would require authorities not to wait for everything to fall apart, before improvising a solution once it already has.
If this country’s leaders have consistently proven anything, it is that they are not good at improv.
On the other hand, do you think they’ve proven to be good at planning ahead?
READ NEXT: Annual Growth Up In June Compared To May - Will July's Power Cuts Curb This Month's Gains?
