Cooling down in Palma Mallorca

Cooling water in Palma. | Pere Bota

Andrew EdePalma19/07/2024 06:48
TW
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In Mallorca on Friday it is possible that there will be a high of 39C. On mainland Spain 44C is possible in parts of Andalusia. Such values in high summer are not unusual. But the regularity with which there are heatwaves, which can be quite prolonged, mark a difference to how the weather was until only quite recently. Throughout the whole of the 1990s there was just one heatwave in Mallorca. Last summer there were three. The heatwave currently being experienced is the first this year, the summer having so far been characterised by lower temperatures than in recent years.

While Mallorca hasn't been particularly hot - the current heatwave is relatively mild and won't produce a high of close to 44C as was the case last July - other parts of the Mediterranean have been.

Studies such as one by the European Commission's Joint Research Centre have pointed to the potentially negative impact on tourism as a consequence of exceptionally high temperatures. A new study by CaixaBank Research in Spain has examined weather data and payments with foreign credit cards in assessing this impact by nationality.

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The nationalities most affected in this regard are the British and the Americans. After experiencing extreme heatwaves, i.e. those that exceed the historical average temperature by eight degrees, the British reduce their willingness to return on holiday by 34%, the Americans by 42%. The Italians aren't that far behind - 32%. The least affected are the Portuguese and the French - nine per cent and seven per cent respectively - while the Germans are scored at 24%.

The bank says that climate change is a key challenge for tourism in Spain. "However, action to address the challenge of climate change can also be an opportunity, given the growing preferences of tourists for sustainability."

Proposing measures to mitigate the negative effects of extreme heat on the flow of tourism, e.g. investments in infrastructure, modernisation of air-conditioning systems, the creation of green spaces with shade, the bank also notes that tourist spending during the summer has grown most in the least hot municipalities of Spain.