May was the 12th consecutive month for which the global average temperature set a new record.

The deaths of several tourists have been reported elsewhere in Greece after the country suffered its earliest heatwave – temper­atures exceeding 38 degrees Celsius (100 Fahrenheit) for at least three days – on record.

In Saudi Arabia, hundreds died as vast crowds of religious visitors undertaking the haj (which ended on June 19) gathered for hours in temperatures of up to 51.8 degrees Celsius, having tried to sleep through night-time minimums of 34 degrees.

Since 1924, when the French capital last hosted the Games, annual temperatures in the city have warmed by 1.8 degrees Celsius and there are 23 more “hot” days (with temperatures above 25 degrees Celsius), on average, and nine more “scorching” (30+ degrees) days a year.

Nikkei Asia has done the research, so Destinations Known doesn’t have to: “Data from Google Trends shows a 100 per cent global increase in the search term ‘cooler holidays’ over the 12 months to May 8.

“Travel website Booking.com also says that 2024 will be a year of travel to cooler climates, while the US-based luxury travel network Virtuoso notes that 82 per cent of its customers are considering cooler destinations this year.”

“Hiking, kayaking, snowshoeing and wildlife spotting are becoming vacation activities for many Asians, while some coolcations also offer water-centric activities such [as] wild swimming and cold-water plunges.”

It also commendably reminds readers that the processes that govern our weather are unpredictable by including some factoids under the heading “Climate change” for each recommendation.

For Copenhagen, for example, Condé Nast Traveller advises, “Denmark has been getting wetter in recent years […] On the other hand, the country posted a freak summer high of 35 degrees Celsius in July 2022.

“The country is also one of the most forward in terms of climate adaption, with Copenhagen in particular leading on rainwater management for decades.”

Some publications dub this clamour for cooler climes a “new” trend, but the desire to beat the heat is as old as the hills.

Steamy Asia is dotted with hill stations that were developed in colonial times for those who could afford to decamp for the cooler climate and health and restorative benefits of a high-altitude sojourn.

Shimla, Manali and Darjeeling, in India, are all examples, as are the Cameron and Genting highlands, in Malaysia; Bokor, in Cambodia; and Sa Pa, in Vietnam. (Likewise, The Peak in Hong Kong initially offered an escape from the mugginess below in the days before air conditioning.)

Many of those places have long traded on their historical associations with leisure breaks taken for climatic reasons – and it seems their time has come again, alongside some new peers.

Eco-friendly movement

Precious few of the giant leaps needed to slow climate breakdown – and save ourselves from ourselves – are being made, but in their absence let us at least note the baby steps.

And electric tuk-tuks are a (silent) putt-putt in the right direction.

Raffles Grand Hotel d’Angkor, in Siem Reap, Cambodia, has introduced a fleet of electric three-wheelers in which to ferry around guests.

“Sustainability is top of mind in everything we do at Raffles Grand Hotel d’Angkor – from sourcing local ingredients in our restaurants and eliminating single-use plastics to other initiatives aimed at reducing our carbon footprint – and we are thrilled to be able to offer our guests these eco-friendly tuk-tuk passenger vehicles,” said general manager Joseph Colina, in a press release. (One presumes the hotel’s old, fossil-fuel-powered tuk-tuks were responsibly disposed of.)

The new T1 vehicles, produced by Phnom Penh-based Onion Mobility and featuring a white exterior shell, are not the first e-tuk-tuks on the streets of Siem Reap, but the hotel claims to be the first hospitality business in Cambodia to possess such vehicles.