Europe's heatwave isn't cooling Asian travelers' holiday plans for the continent

Oscar Wong | Moment | Getty ImagesAs Europe endures another summer of record-breaking heat, Asian travelers continue to flock to the continent, with little sign that soaring temperatures are dampening demand.The trend also reflects a broader diversification in Asian travel spending across Europe, as travelers spread their budgets across a wider range of destinations throughout the continent. Searches for European destinations by Asian travelers rose 57% year on year during the July-August travel season, with improved conversion rates from search to booking, said Edmund Ong, senior regional director, Southeast Asia at Trip.com. France, Italy and Spain remained the most popular European destinations by booking volume on the platform this summer, underscoring resilient demand despite recent shifts in weather patterns. At the same time, while flight bookings to both Southern and Northern Europe grew more than 30% from a year earlier, hotel bookings in Northern Europe doubled over the same period, suggesting travelers may be allocating a larger share of their European itineraries to cooler destinations in Northern Europe, said Ong. This travel demand comes as much of Europe grapples wit...