Scottish Highlands Benefiting from 'Coolcation' Trend

Tourists in Europe are changing where they spend their summer holidays. Instead of heading to hot, sunny places in southern Europe, more people are choosing cooler spots in the north — like the Scottish Highlands. This new trend is called a 'coolcation,' and it is growing fast because of rising temperatures and extreme weather linked to climate change. Wildfires, droughts, and record-breaking heatwaves are making summer in southern Europe increasingly uncomfortable.

James MacLeod works as a concierge at the Glencoe House Hotel in the Scottish Highlands. He says visitors used to complain about Scotland's rainy weather, but now they are happy about it. 'They don't seem to care about the midges or the rain anymore,' he says with a laugh. 'They're just glad it's not too hot.' MacLeod says the change in attitude has been striking.

The numbers back up what MacLeod is seeing. Visitor numbers to northern Europe rose 10% between April and June compared to the same period in 2025. The European Travel Commission said northern Europe — including Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Ireland, Norway, Sweden, and the UK — outperformed every other part of Europe. Travel agency Trip.com also found that searches for cooler holiday spots jumped 74% in early 2026 compared to the same months in 2025.

Scotland is changing how it describes itself to attract visitors. Researcher Chris Greenwood at Glasgow Caledonian University says more wealthy UK families are now choosing the Scottish Highlands over popular hot spots like Tuscany in Italy. He notes that in 2026, Scotland stopped marketing itself as 'rugged' and started promoting itself as 'temperate' — meaning pleasantly mild. This shift in branding has helped draw a new kind of tourist.

The coolcation trend is happening beyond Scotland, too. The Dutch coastal city of The Hague recently became famous as a coolcation destination after a New York Times article highlighted it. The city has 10 kilometers of coastline, beach bars, sand dunes, and bike paths. Its mix of culture, history, and cool sea breezes has made it very appealing to tourists looking to escape the heat.

But so many visitors are creating serious problems. Streets in Kijkduin, a coastal neighborhood of The Hague, have had to be closed to non-residents because too many cars were blocking the roads. In the nearby town of Zandvoort, frustrated residents put up fake road signs to steer tourists away. These scenes show how quickly a flood of visitors can overwhelm a community.

Scotland is facing similar overcrowding challenges in its most popular spots. 'It's busier than the carpark at my local mall,' said Nick, a visitor from the United States, after finding full parking areas in the scenic Glencoe valley. The Fairy Pools on the Isle of Skye and Edinburgh's Royal Mile are also under strain. Researcher Greenwood says these famous places have become 'victims of their own virality' because social media made them so well-known.

Cities and organizations are taking steps to manage the crowds. Edinburgh became the first city in the UK to introduce a tourist tax, adding a 5% fee to hotel room costs. The National Trust for Scotland in Glencoe is expanding parking, building a new cycle route, and planning shuttle buses. These efforts aim to protect the natural environment and keep local communities livable for the people who call these places home.

Scotland is not entirely escaping the effects of climate change, however. Wildfires burned through parts of the Cairngorms National Park and near Edinburgh's Arthur's Seat in July. The Glencoe Mountain Resort ski center now carries mountain bikers on its chairlift instead of skiers, because winter snow has become unreliable. These changes are a reminder that even cooler destinations are feeling the impact of a warming world.

The shift in how people use Scotland's wild places raises important questions about the future. Thirty years ago, families came to Glencoe to ski and spot red deer near the historic Kingshouse Hotel. Today, tourists sit at sunlit picnic tables snapping photos of themselves. Whether this new love of Scotland's wilderness will leave enough wild space for the next generation is the biggest challenge still to be answered.