Popular tourist spots are dangerously hot — and some Albertans are choosing to stay away

As the U.S. and Europe contend with dangerously hot temperatures, a Calgary travel agent says weather events are already influencing some Albertans' vacation plans. 

The World Meteorological Organization has warned of an increased risk of deaths due to the extreme heat.

"Temperatures in North America, Asia, and across North Africa and the Mediterranean will be above 40 C for a prolonged number of days this week as the heat wave intensifies," the WMO said.

Popular tourist spots such as Spain, Italy, California and Arizona are among the areas hit by extreme heat. 

Sarah Halprin, a Calgary travel agent, said she's seen a shift in older adults who are avoiding certain destinations due to heat. 

"Older populations, people with underlying medical conditions, are realizing that it's just not very safe for them to go to hot climates anymore. So there's a lot more interest in places like Iceland and that kind of thing," she said. 

Halprin said many retirees interested in cruises are swapping out tropical destinations for places like Alaska and Sweden. 

Joe Pavelka, an ecotourism professor at Mount Royal University who also studies tourism motivation, said if the heat waves continue, it could push people out of peak travel seasons, especially those who have compromised health. 

And it could cause many to wonder if they'll be able to do what they want to do on vacation.

Pavelka also noted that retired people might be able to choose where and when they travel, but working parents with limited vacation time and short periods when their children aren't in school might not have that flexibility.

He added that choosing extremely hot destinations could make it harder to enjoy the vacation.

"It's actually no different than going to a Mexican beach resort and having it rain for the entire week.… We have these heat waves that I think are directly impacting that psychological satisfaction of the visitor," he said. 

"Everything becomes quite challenging. Then you add on top of that this extreme heat that a lot of people just can't avoid. If you are out and about for four or five hours, if you are waiting for your train, if you are waiting for transportation, everything that you do becomes that much more difficult." 

Lesley Keyter, a Calgary travel agent known as The Travel Lady, said she's seen more Calgarians asking questions about the weather when it comes to their travel plans. 

"Certainly, people are aware of that because it's not much fun to be touring around somewhere in the blazing heat," she said. 

But she added that lots of Calgarians are interested in travelling to Europe, and she personally hasn't seen demand slow down. 

"I think it's going to be very hard to stop the current surge that we've got in travel. We have been inundated with people wanting to travel last minute to places in Europe, Italy, Greece, Spain.… These inquiries don't seem to have slowed down, even though we're seeing on the television these just terrible heat patterns." 

Keyter's advice for those travelling in the midst of a heat wave is to tailor your sightseeing to accommodate for extreme temperatures. She said it's best to go sightseeing early in the morning, and then save the air-conditioned museums and art galleries for the hottest part of the day.