Coolcation has become a phenomenon as many traditional tourist destinations in the Mediterranean have had to close or struggle to cope with forest fires. The closure of the Acropolis in Athens due to heat waves and fires in Spain and Portugal have prompted tourists to head north.

Norway and the Scandinavian countries have recorded record numbers of visitors after the pandemic. In 2023, the number of overnight stays in the region exceeded previous years. In July alone, Oslo and Copenhagen airports both saw record numbers of arrivals. The reasons come from many factors: the popularity of Nordic design and cuisine, sanctions on Russia forcing cruise ships to find alternative stops in St. Petersburg, and most importantly, climate change. According to the European Travel Commission, this year the number of visitors to the Mediterranean is down 8%, while 28% of European tourists choose cool destinations. SAS said that bookings from France and Italy to Sweden are up 50-60%.

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Nordic governments are quickly turning the trend into a growth driver. Denmark aims to boost tourism spending to 200 billion kroner ($31 billion) by 2030. Norway hopes to create 43,000 jobs. In Sweden, Visit Sweden’s director general notes, the country has long promoted itself as “cool, less crowded and close to nature”—in the spirit of coolcation.

“Everyone wants to come to Norway, but we are reaching a breaking point,” said Hedda Felin, chief executive of Hurtigruten, a 130-year-old shipping company. As an adviser to the government, she has called for tighter environmental regulations, while also emphasizing the need to spread tourism across the country and year-round, rather than concentrating it in a few popular destinations during the summer.

Norway needs to be clever in maintaining its economic interests while protecting its natural core, Felin said. That means not just chasing the coolcation trend, but building a long-term sustainable development strategy.