Move over hot girl summer. Because cold is in.
When booking a holiday, it’s no longer a matter of “which location will give me the best sunbathing weather?”. Travellers are craving new locations, better value and meaningful itineraries, meaning the sunny, usual spots simply aren’t cutting it anymore.
Coolcations on the Rise
Coolcationing isn’t just a travel trend, it’s a new mindset. With experience-led and mindful travel on the rise, new motivations for selecting holiday destinations are emerging.
Data shows that good weather is becoming less of a deciding travel factor for Brits, dropping by 4% annually. This suggests travellers are becoming more open to destinations that offer memorable experiences, regardless of temperature.
Colder locations are often seen as more adventurous and novel than ticking off the standard tourist checklist in popular hotspots such as Spain and France. Climate change is also driving destination choices; changing weather patterns extreme heatwaves and droughts are leading people to avoid extreme summer heat, especially when travelling during the summer holidays with children.
Some of the cooler countries reaping the benefits of this shift are Finland which rose in popularity with British travellers from 1.8% to 2.5% in the span of a year, Iceland (+0.6%), Norway (+0.5%) and Switzerland (+1.9%). While cooler in climate, these destinations offer dramatic scenery, picturesque natural landscapes and cultural experiences.
Peak Escapism
This brings us on to another driving factor of coolcationing, known as “peak escapism” or “mountain tourism”. Travellers are seeking destinations with mountains in search of calm and restorative, scenery-led trips.
Insight from Skyscanner has identified that 62% of travellers cited peace and quiet as their key motivation for domestic or overseas mountain trips. Booking.com also found that the “room with a view” filter is up 103% globally year-on-year, again highlighting this growing demand for nature and scenery.
Who’s driving this change?
Gen-Z well known as trend disruptors, are continuing with their reputation in the travel industry. The generation is a significant driver of the rise in coolcations, as they’re more open to less traditional holiday spots and are placing greater value on experience-led travel than previous generations.
It’s no longer cool to post a sunbathing picture at the same beach all your friends go to year-on-year, but that remote mountain in Norway? That’s cool (literally).
Coolcations present a new opportunity for the travel industry, as the shift in destination choice and mindset opens new doors. While warm holidays are still going strong, they better watch out, because thermals are on their way to becoming the new holiday staple.
Interested in learning more about traveller behaviour change and mapping your customer journey? Get in touch hello@hatch.group.
