Southern European tourists flock to Denmark to escape the heat

While the south swelters, Denmark’s mild temperatures and extended daylight hours are providing the perfect summer escape for many.

Transcript

00:00Denmark's mild temperatures and extended daylight hours are attracting visitors from sweltering

00:06southern Europe.

00:08The number of Italian and French tourists visiting Copenhagen in June this year was

00:13up 23 percent since 2019.

00:16We are here for a vacation because it's very hot in Greece at the moment, so we decided

00:22to go somewhere north in order to see something different and have a nice weather.

00:28When you compare Denmark's cool temperatures with several severe heat warnings in Italy

00:32and Spain, it is unsurprising that many tourists are flocking here.

00:58The cooler climate here, coupled with the long summer evenings, is proving to be a major

01:06draw.

01:07At the height of summer, during the solstice, the sun doesn't set until 10 p.m., giving

01:11visitors almost an hour more daylight to enjoy compared to Italy.

01:15South Zealand, which is about 80 kilometers away from Copenhagen, is also an emerging

01:21tourist region.

01:25Philip Rasmussen owns a hotel in the Zeeland town of Praster.

01:30He says southern Europe's heat waves have increased his business.

01:34Yes, the last two years we have seen much more tourists from the southern part of Europe.

01:41And the topic is the heat wave, which actually are the first thing, if you ask them, why

01:47are you visiting Denmark?

01:48I mean, when you see all the fires in Greece and so on, it's a tragic background.

02:13But of course, then we are happy to say come and cool down for a couple of weeks up here

02:20at north and discover our beautiful nature and culture.

02:24But agencies say other factors, such as nature and culinary experience, are also a driving

02:29factor behind Denmark's rising popularity.