winter holiday/retirement patterns in warmer locales in various parts of the world (vacations, Europe)

[yofie]

I know that in the winter, people from Canada and the snowbelt United States go to warmer places like Florida or Arizona or southern California or other parts of the sunbelt US, or else the Caribbean, Mexico, Hawaii, etc., for holiday or retirement (and a good number of Canadians go to Victoria, BC, to retire on account of its very warm winters by Canadian standards).

I also know that in the winter, people from northern Europe go to the Mediterranean area (though some British people may prefer the so-called English Riviera in the South West of England) for similar purposes, and people from southern Australia (esp. Melbourne, Tasmania, and the like) as well as from New Zealand go to Queensland or at least northern New South Wales, if not Fiji, Bali, etc. for these purposes (though some New Zealanders go to the Bay of Plenty or Hastings/Napier just the same).

Similarly, I know that people from Johannesburg and other cooler parts of South Africa go to Durban and other parts of the Kwazulu-Natal coast, if not Mauritius, the Kenyan coast, etc., and that people from central and northern Israel (e.g. Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Haifa) go to the Dead Sea or Eilat. And, for that matter, that wealthier people in China go to Hainan in its far south (within the tropics) or that people in Japan may go to its southernmost points or that Russians may go to its Black Sea coast or that Argentines/Uruguayans go to Brazil.

My question is: How do these patterns differ around the world? For example, such tourism in North America is strongly oriented towards finding warmer and sunnier places to visit in the winter due to sharp temperature differences, while in Israel in the winter, Eilat and the Dead Sea aren't much warmer than Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, etc. (though perhaps sunnier).

[annerk]

Tourists from South America flock to Florida in June and July as well to get out of their "winter."

[Clark Fork Fantast]

Since the 1960s Scandinavians have gone to Southern Spain and purchased retirement property, but I haven't kept up on the trends since the financial crisis. It may have changed. For winter vacations, the tours from Scandinavia to Turkey and SE Asia have become very popular. But don't forget that not everyone wants to bask in the heat in winter. Winter sports are hugely popular, and resorts with guaranteed snow draw people from cold as well as warm climates.

[yofie]

Originally Posted by annerk

Tourists from South America flock to Florida in June and July as well to get out of their "winter."

But that's because they also want to take advantage of shopping opportunities in Florida (better quality, reasonable prices) and to store their money in US dollars rather than their local (and historically unstable) currencies. People in developed countries don't have to worry about these considerations as much. Of course, some tourists from Europe go to Florida and the Caribbean for warmer weather and more sunshine as well.