Danes flee to sun and beach from snow and cold: *"Every fiber in my body screams for sun."*

Freezing temperatures, wind, and snowstorms have loomed over the first weeks of this year like a cold, damp shadow that won’t go away.

That’s why Danes are flocking to warmer destinations right now.

- This year has been particularly harsh, so I can feel every fiber in my body screaming for some D-vitamin in the form of sun and maybe a piña colada, says radio host and DJ Kenny Jensen.

Like many other Danes, he has scrolled through travel agencies’ websites looking for obvious holiday deals offering sun, beach, and pools—but so far, he hasn’t found anything.

Several of the country’s largest travel agencies are currently seeing tickets to warmer destinations sell out faster than usual in the early months of the year.

- Danes’ travel enthusiasm is currently very high. There’s no doubt that while we might think a bit of frost and winter can be adventurous and lovely, the prospect of it continuing indefinitely makes many want to escape to sun and summer instead, says Sofie Lund, communications manager at Spies.

January this year ended as the coldest January in 16 years, and this has also driven a particularly high demand among heat-seeking Danes at Bravotours.

Kenny Jensen is desperately searching for a trip to the sun in the south. He’s especially tired of the cold weather in Denmark showing no signs of disappearing anytime soon. (Photo: © Private)

- We can see that Danes want to get away from this cold and snow, and whatever else might be fun right now, and instead head somewhere with sun and warmth. There are always many people traveling at this time because it’s so cold, but this year’s demand has gotten an extra boost, says Peder Hornshøj, CEO of Bravotours.

According to him, this is an extraordinary year.

- Over the past three weeks, with the persistent cold, we’ve seen increased pressure on our website, phones, and in-store sales—even from people who just want to leave as soon as possible. There’s more demand than we usually see at this time of year, he says.

Sunweb also reports that the company has sold 90 percent of its winter trips so far. Last year at the same time, the figure was 75 percent.

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**Egypt and Thailand**

Both travel agencies are seeing trips sell out faster than usual.

It’s especially true for destinations like Egypt and the Canary Islands, where Spies has sold 5-7 percent more trips this year compared to last year. Meanwhile, sales of package deals to Thailand, Bali, and Mauritius have risen by 40 percent.

> We expect around 800,000 guests to pass through the airport in week 7, which is 10 percent more than we saw last year.

> Peter Krogsgaard, commercial director.

- When we hit the first week of January, things really took off. Everything for weeks 7 and 8 was sold out earlier than usual. We’ve practically sold out all our charter flights for the next month, says Sofie Lund.

The same trend is evident at Bravotours.

Here, the number of trips booked for departure in January and February has also increased by 6-7 percent compared to the same period last year.

- We’re also seeing many people opt for longer trips to Thailand or Kenya, where the coast is fully sunny throughout February, says Peder Hornshøj.

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**Nothing Left on the Shelves**

Right now, Kenny Jensen can only dream of warmth and recharging his batteries, but like many others, Egypt is on his radar.

- I’ve focused a lot on Morocco and Egypt because I can feel that I’m not so picky about where I go anymore. I’m more concerned about the weather. What matters is the sun, a pool, and some sea water, he says.

His search has included both travel agencies and cancellation pages—but so far, it’s been unsuccessful.

- It’s been a bit of an uphill battle. I just need to stand on the local street corner with a megaphone and shout that I want some sun. I’ve put in a lot of effort, he believes.

- It sounds like minor problems compared to other things, but you do get frustrated when, like me, you’ve unfortunately waited too long. Then you realize there are just no more trips available on the shelves, he says.

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**Flooding Through the Airport**

The travel search engine Momondo also tells DR Nyheder that Danes’ searches reflect a desire for trips where sun and warmth are guaranteed.

This is also evident at Copenhagen Airport, where many of the heat-seeking Danes will pass through. There is increased travel activity here as well.

- We expect around 800,000 guests to go through the airport in week 7, which is 10 percent more than last year, says commercial director Peter Krogsgaard.

Peter Krogsgaard, commercial director at Copenhagen Airport, is experiencing higher travel demand in the first weeks of the year than last year. (Photo: © Sofie Mathiassen, Ritzau Scanpix)

According to him, this indicates a general rise in travel enthusiasm, but especially a weariness of the persistent winter cold.

- That’s why we see a lot of flights heading to southern Spain and Gran Canaria, but also to Asia—Vietnam, Thailand, and so on. Toward the warmth, he says.

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