Travelers visiting 'cooler' places to escape summer heat

As the summer travel season heats up, one travel expert revealed the destinations vacationers are flocking to. 

"Well, we're seeing a lot of interest in Europe as we always do," Virtuoso's Misty Belles said on Wednesday's "Mornings with Maria." However, "this time we're seeing them go to Northern Europe."

The expert pointed out that travelers are opting for cooler-climate nations. 

"Don't get me wrong, people still love Western Europe, and they're still going to Paris for the Olympics," she said. "We're seeing much more demand for places like Scandinavia, which is up 77% over last summer,"

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Sweden also saw a 145% increase in demand compared to last summer, as well as Denmark and the Netherlands, she said. 

"We're seeing people wanting to escape the heat waves that they experienced last summer." 

And despite inflation, demand is "extremely strong," as prices remain relatively unchanged. 

"We aren't seeing the [travel] rates spiking as much during this summer, with the exception of the Paris Olympics, because the rates were so expensive last year. So they're really about on par with where they were last summer." 

Belles admitted, however, that "overall, everything else is more expensive" but travelers "are not letting go of their luxury experiences." 

The travel expert also discussed the demographic shift in cruising. 

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"We're seeing that cruising is no longer sort of that baby boomer, mature retiree type clientele," she explained. 

In 2023, cruises were projected to collectively see passenger volumes of 31.5 million globally, according to a report from the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), a trade association that counts Carnival, Disney Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean, and other lines among its members. The association also predicted ocean-going cruises will see 36 million passengers in 2024. 

Belle said that the industry and its perception have changed, with ships remaining in port longer allowing passengers to be more adventurous. 

"The beautiful thing about cruising is that there is a line or an itinerary for any type of traveler at this point." 

FOX Business' Aislinn Murphy contributed to this report