‘Cheaper than putting the heating on’: Greece and Spain cash in on UK surging energy bills

As energy bills soar in chilly England, foreign tourism operators are taking advantage

Cities such as Chania, Crete are being marketed as year-round destinations (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Tourism operators in Southern European countries are hoping to capitalise on the UK’s cold winters and energy bills crisis by advertising their warmer climates as winter approaches.

Destinations including Greece, southern Spain and the Canary Islands are taking advantage of “thermal tourism”, a trend for Britons flying to cheaper, warmer climates to escape the winter and the cost of living crisis in the UK.

Greece’s tourism minister Vassilis Kikilias told the Observer: “Our doors are open 12 months round, our friends in northern Europe should know this. They should head here for the winter.”

A Greek advertising campaign worth £17.5 million will soon be rolled out to the public, featuring the caption: “Wanna feel 20 again? With warm winter temperatures up to 20C, Greece is the place to be.”

Imagery for the campaign shows an older couple on a yacht, drinking from wine glasses and eating watermelon.

Greece’s tourism industry has boomed this summer, as it looks to have made more through foreign holidayers than back in 2019 (pre-pandemic), when it brought in €18bn through 33.1 million travellers.

The president of the Spanish federation of tourist departments Miguel Ángel Sotillos told the Observer: “From what we’re seeing, people are realising that it’s cheaper to come here than to put the heating on at home.”

“There’ll be clusters connected by direct flights with hotels and restaurants that are prepared to stay open,” he continued.

“What we’re saying is that it might be less costly to turn off the heat back home and come here. It’s as simple as that.”

“People, especially pensioners, have always thought about the western Mediterranean in the winter months,” added Dimitris Maziotis, a PR strategist who worked on the Greece campaign.

“What we’re saying is the eastern Mediterranean is here, too.”

With Greece rarely marketing itself to Brits as a winter destination, its culture-stacked cities are set to be a focus, with airlines and hotels incentivised to operate year-round.

“Athens, Thessaloniki, Rhodes, Kos and Crete are on the list,” explains Maziotis. “They’re not only bigger, with hotels that will stay open, but in the case of Crete warmer too.”

As the cost of living crisis continues to take hold, bills have become a source of stress for many Britons - particularly the older generation, who worry about the cold coupled with a lack of income.

Households could pay double what they paid in March for the electricity and gas bills this winter.

The first flicker of ‘thermal tourism’ appeared when travel agent TravelTime World launched a campaign in September called “The Heat is On,” which urged travellers to take long-stay holidays this winter rather than bare the cost of living in the UK.

This led some to question whether, if you can live on £20 a day in some warm countries, holidaying could actually save you cash; especially as you can visit a European country for 90 days in any 180-day period. The Independent breaks down the numbers here.