Extreme weather hits European campsites after a summer marked by wildfires

After weeks of reporting on the impact of wildfires across Europe, extreme weather has provided another reminder of the risks facing the outdoor hospitality sector. In recent days, campsites in Italy and Spain have been affected by torrential rain, flooding, landslides and violent storms, with hundreds of guests evacuated and significant damage reported.

In Spain, torrential rain hit the Costa Daurada on 22 August, causing flooding across several municipalities in Tarragona province. In Roda de Berà, around 300 people were evacuated from Camping Arc de Berà, with some temporarily accommodated at the municipal sports centre. More than 200 mm of rain was recorded in some areas, while 11 people were injured across the affected area.

The incident has also raised questions about the vulnerability of the area to flooding. The mayors of Roda de Berà and El Vendrell have called for structural measures to improve drainage and reduce the risk of future flooding. The area around the campsites had already been identified as vulnerable to flooding in local risk assessments.

In Italy, a different combination of weather-related risks affected a campsite in Isola di Fondra, in the province of Bergamo, on 21 August. Around 250 guests and staff were evacuated from the campsite as a precaution because of a landslide upstream and rising water levels in a nearby stream. The evacuation was carried out by firefighters during the night.

On the same day, Grado, in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region, was hit by a violent storm and tornado that affected the Camping Al Bosco. Civil Protection volunteers worked alongside firefighters from the Grado station to clear the campsite of fallen trees, some of which had landed on caravans and bungalows.

SOGIT also provided medical support and an ambulance during the emergency operations. The images released by Civil Protection show extensive damage to caravans, campers and accommodation units across the campsite. A 16-year-old boy was injured when a tree fell onto a bungalow, while another person was reportedly injured at Camping Punta Spin, which was also affected by the storm.

The incidents come after a summer in which wildfires have already affected campsites and tourism destinations across several European countries, as reported by Camping Business in recent weeks. Taken together, the fires, floods, landslides and violent storms provide a broader picture of the extreme weather events affecting European tourism during the peak summer season.

The events are not, individually, proof of a direct link to climate change. They do, however, add further cases to a summer in which extreme weather has repeatedly had a direct impact on campsites, their guests and their operations.

Photo: Courtesy of Protezione Civile Grado