Is summer still the best season to go on vacation? Growing desire for off-season travel and alternative destinations due to cost, tourism and climate change

"I'm looking for summer all year long, and suddenly here it is." Adriano Celentano sang these words back in 1968, and not by chance. He knew that Italians have always loved summer and summer holidays. Nearly 60 years later, not much has changed: for Italians, the biggest ambition for summer 2025 is still to travel. According to Allianz's European Summer Vacation Confidence Index 2025, eight out of ten Italians plan to travel this summer. Yet climate change is adding a new challenge to holidays across Europe. A BBC investigation shows that unusually high summer temperatures are now leading to a steady decline in visitors to traditional summer destinations. More and more travelers are questioning whether it still makes sense to spend their holidays in scorching-hot countries such as Greece, Spain, and Italy during July and August.

How climate change is reshaping summer vacations

Compared to 2024, the BBC reports that 8% fewer respondents plan to spend their next summer holiday in a Mediterranean country, choosing the cooler climate of Northern Europe instead, or even traveling during milder seasons such as spring or late winter. Greece, for example, recorded a 20% increase in spring holiday bookings in 2024 compared to the same period in 2023. Spain has also experienced a similar trend: "foreign arrivals exceeded 10 million during January and February 2025, nearly 20% above 2019 levels."

At the same time, 83% of Italians surveyed still say they intend to take a summer vacation, well above the European average of around 75%. These figures remain remarkably high despite growing economic, financial, and geopolitical uncertainty. Inflation, although easing in recent months, remains the biggest concern for Italian travelers: 68% are worried about rising prices. While the average Italian vacation cost around €1,674 per person in 2024, the projected budget for 2025 has risen by €276, reaching approximately €1,950 per traveler.

Why Italians are still traveling despite inflation and rising costs

As vacations become increasingly expensive, travelers are willing to make significant sacrifices rather than give them up. Sixty percent of respondents say they would cut back on leisure activities such as dining out, aperitifs, and trips to the cinema throughout the year, while 56% would even postpone buying a house or a car if it meant they could still afford a summer holiday. Inflation, climate change, and overtourism are all putting traditional summer vacations under pressure.

Yet, as Sean Tipton of the Association of British Travel Agents told the BBC, "Beach holidays remain by far the most popular choice, but people's behavior is changing as they opt for different destinations." Summer, then, is not disappearing—it is evolving. People are not giving up on travel; they are simply seeking new routes, different seasons, and fresh experiences. The summer vacation of the future may be less crowded, more sustainable, and centered on less conventional destinations, but it will remain as deeply desired as ever.