Is your holiday impacted? Tourist hotspots at a time of drought

Holiday destinations across Europe are in the midst of an Easter rush right now, but many are also feeling the hit from drought.

Severe drought has persisted in continental Europe for multiple years now.

Popular destinations such as the Iberian Peninsula has been in a state of drought since 2021 while France just saw its driest winter since 1959.

The prolonged dry spell is now hitting tourism spots. In the alps, below-average snowfall and warming temperatures is melting iconic ski hotspots and shortening the ski season.

Half of Switzerland’s slopes now rely on the use of artificial snow to remain open while the overall number of tourists heading to French slopes dropped by 69% below average in February according to data from authorities in both countries.

Some tourist favourites are just hanging on. In Mallorca, authorities expressed concern that visitors would severely deplete the little water reservoirs the island had after years of drought.

The arrival of Storm Juliette in February helped replenish these reservoirs just in time for the spring season.

Others are not so lucky and need to adapt. Low water levels of Germany’s Rhine River for example is forcing tourism operators to switch to bus tours over boat trips with the river too shallow to pass in places.

As summer approaches, a heatwave like that seen in 2022 will take an even greater toll on the tourism industry already rushing to change.