Holidays to Spain and Italy 'most at risk' with UK tourists driven to 'look elsewhere'

Italy and Spain are the 'most at risk' of losing tourists due to worsening conditions caused by climate change, a new study has found. The two European hotspots are expected to be the worst-affected by the likes of excessive heat, floods and gales, which are all forecast to threaten holidays. Researchers in Italy analysed the impact of changing weather trends on popular tourist destinations and Italy, Spain, France and the UK were identified as the countries most under threat as heatwaves and storms become more frequent.

Read more: Ryanair warns passengers 'will not be able to board' without paying airport charge In Spain, Britons' favourite holiday destination, tourist-centric Malaga was highlighted as the region most at risk of excessive heat. Spain has witnessed near-record-breaking temperatures this summer, with forecasts peaking at 44C in July. The country was found to be the second most vulnerable in Europe to surging temperatures, with 12% of Spain's tourist attractions predicted to be affected, behind only Italy at a concerning 49%.

The figures have prompted concerns that tourists will be driven to look elsewhere when choosing their summer holiday destination in an effort to avoid the sweltering temperatures. France is also expected to be strongly-impacted by excessive heat, while strong gales are expected to damage tourism in the UK, Italy and France. Flooding is set to increase the most in France, Italy and the UK.

The United Kingdom is also forecast to be the worst.