Scotland is emerging as a surprise summer holiday hotspot for heatwave-weary travellers from southern Europe - and Aberdeen is benefitting.
New data from online travel giant eDreams Odigeo shows that while Edinburgh and Glasgow continue to top the charts for international visitors, searches for flights to Aberdeen from Spain jumped by 12% this summer, as tourists seek out cooler city breaks.
The trend is being fuelled by record-breaking heatwaves across southern Europe, where July temperatures soared to 48°C in parts of Italy, Spain and Portugal.
By contrast, Scotland’s summer highs peaked at a much more manageable 32°C, with Aberdeen often sitting several degrees cooler still - offering welcome relief for visitors keen to swap sweltering beaches for fresh air, green landscapes and cultural city experiences.
It’s part of a wider surge in interest for Scotland’s more northerly destinations. Searches from Italy to Inverness rose by 44%, while Edinburgh saw a 19% jump. Across the UK as a whole, searches from Italian travellers rose 13% year-on-year, with French holidaymakers up 10%.
Tourism leaders say the rise of so-called “coolcations” - trips designed to escape extreme weather - are reshaping travel patterns across Europe.
A poll of 10,000 holidaymakers across seven countries found that two-thirds would change their travel plans to avoid extreme heat, with northern Europe emerging as the big winner.
With VisitBritain forecasting that tourist spending will exceed £3billion in 2025, up from £31.5bn in 2024),