Scottish Highlands benefiting from ‘coolcation’ trend
BBC News
Climate
Image source:
Anna Holligan
Image caption:
The Scottish Highlands offer wonderful views and not high temperatures
By Anna Holligan, Business reporter
Reporting from Glencoe, Scottish Highlands
Published 1 hour ago
"People used to come to the Highlands and say, ‘it’s beautiful – shame about the weather’. Now they’re coming for the weather."
James MacLeod, concierge at the Glencoe House Hotel, in the Scottish Highlands, laughs as he talks about a noticeable shift in visitors’ perceptions.
Climate change is redrawing Europe’s summer tourism map. Wildfires, droughts, and record-breaking heatwaves are making summer months increasingly uncomfortable and unpredictable across southern Europe. In contrast, Scotland and other northern European nations are finding themselves perfectly positioned to offer a "coolcation" escape.
The early data backs this up. Visitor numbers to northern Europe were up 10% from April to June of this year, according to the European Travel Commission (ETC), the body representing Europe’s national tourism bodies.
The ETC stated that northern Europe, classified as Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Ireland, Norway, Sweden, and the UK, had "outperformed all other European subregions".
Meanwhile, Trip.com found that from January to April of this year, searches for cooler holiday destinations this summer had increased by 74% from the first four months of 2025, as travelers sought to escape the heat and shift their attention to places offering more comfortable climates.
And Awaze, the European holiday-rental group, reports searches for "escape the heat" rose three-fold in the past three months, while searches for "coolcation" were up more than four-fold.
Within the UK, Cottages.com stated that its Scottish portfolio has been the most viewed this summer.
Back in Glencoe, Emily Bryce, operations manager at the National Trust for Scotland, reports that visitor numbers this summer are up 8% from a year ago. "Visitors tell us it’s refreshingly cool here compared with the south of France and Spain." She laughs, "Today it’s drizzle and 13 degrees."
Chris Greenwood, a senior researcher at Glasgow Caledonian University’s Moffat Centre for Travel and Tourism Business Development, points to a "massive shift" in where high-net-worth UK families go on their summer holidays. He notes that an increasing number are swapping destinations like Tuscany for the Scottish Highlands.
Greenwood also highlights how Scotland is changing its tourism promotion. "In 2026, Scotland stopped selling itself as ‘rugged’ and started selling itself as ‘temperate’".
How the threat of extreme heat is starting to change our holiday plans
Published 18 June 2025
The northward shift of holidaymakers in Europe is not unique to Scotland or the Nordics. The Dutch coastal city of The Hague, for example, recently made headlines after a New York Times article described it as a new "coolcation" hotspot while "southern Europe overheats."
The city combines international institutions and urban culture with 10km (six miles) of coastline, beach bars, dunes, and cycle routes stretching along the shore.
But success brings its own risks. Streets in Kijkduin…
