Energy Crises and European Tourism
Energy Crises and European Tourism. Energy crises across Europe are causing all sorts of restrictions on energy consumption, especially in holiday areas. As a result, suppliers and tourists are both in their hands.
Currently, Europe is experiencing an energy crisis. Energy costs rise faster than inflation; there is a shortage of fuel, gas, and water, resulting in less hydroelectric power and occasional supply shortages. In short: energy must be saved, with temperatures sometimes reaching extremely high levels in the summer.
Numerous European countries have introduced energy-saving measures as a result. Because of reduced Russian supplies, the European Union wants to reduce its gas consumption by 15%. Despite their significant reduction in gas dependence, southern countries like Portugal, Spain and Greece resisted. The Greek tourism minister made public the idea that Germans should take more extended vacations in Greece or move there right away to save on winter heating and hot water.
Despite the mockery, other countries must conserve energy as winter approaches. Several French and Spanish cities have already banned the commercial use of air conditioning in shops and shopping centres. In addition, some towns dim or turn off their lights at night. In many places, decorative fountains are no longer bubbling because water is only supplied where necessary. Greece has also promised such measures.
Tourists and shopkeepers on edge
A small, tourist-dependent “shop economy” in Spain and the catering industry are very concerned: as the Canary newspaper “Maspalomas Ahora” reported, there is concern that tourists will avoid shops that do not have a cooling system – according to the current status, technical aids are only allowed to cool up to a maximum of 27 degrees. Shopkeepers were not consulted regarding this decision.
On the other hand, tourists feel uncomfortable walking through streets hardly illuminated at night, and boutiques have to turn off their lights at 10 p.m., even if they were previously open much later. Police presence has increased on the Canary Islands and the Balearic Islands – but primarily to comply with energy-saving measures rather than to protect the public. Meanwhile, tourists feel uncomfortable walking through streets barely lit at night, and boutiques must turn off their lights by 10 p.m., even if they were open much longer.
During the winter, things will not get better either. It is prohibited for boutiques and restaurants to heat up to more than 19 degrees. Fine regulations have already been announced in France – anyone exceeding the maximum temperatures in their homes risks fines of up to 750 euros. Additionally, in Spain and France, automatic doors are discussed to improve building temperature regulation.
At the moment, it looks like this: sweating in summer, freezing in winter. Furthermore, the government must regulate energy-saving measures because the populace appears unable to implement them on its own accord.
At the same time, the primary concern for the economy is whether the urgently needed tourism sales after two years of the pandemic will continue and will not return to the same extent in the future because of the energy crisis and new measures. Anyhow, the tourism industry is still feeling the effects of Corona.
How about Switzerland?
In Switzerland, no concrete actions have been taken till now.
“Switzerland is doing everything to prevent a shortage. But let’s not forget that there is war in Europe. There are no certainties,” Sommaruga said in an interview with SonntagsBlick.
She added that adopting a 15% energy savings target like the European Union would “make sense”, but the government would make the final decision.
We hope and believe that we will not face electricity and gas shortages in the coming winter and that there will not be any severe interruptions in the Swiss travel and tourism industry.
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Photo by Riccardo Annandale on Unsplash
