Over the last few days television news reports have been full of the heatwave that is currently covering much of the Mediterranean.

While meterologists seem agreed that there is little immediate chance in it heading in this direction, it is of great interest to millions of Britons who are heading off on holiday over the next few weeks.

I don't want to get into the causes of this - or the other extreme weather we are seeing in the US, China, India and Korea - except to say it's clear weather patterns are changing and and the vast majority of reputable scientists believe this is because of human intervention.

The fact is we are where we are - and I can't help feeling that one sector for whom this could be good news is UK tourism, especially in areas like East Anglia.

On Monday, when there were news reports from Rome and the Costas about frazzled holidaymakers suffering from extreme temperatures, we spent a very pleasant day visiting relatives staying in Southwold on holiday.

There were showers on the way to and from the coast from Ipswich, but we had fine weather there. It was warm without being opressively hot. 

The fish and chips on the pier were superb - and it was providing everything you want from a holiday or day out.

I couldn't help casting my mind back a week to a conversation I had with a friend who told me he and his family were about to head off to Spain.

"Poor you," I said, partly joking.

"To be honest I think I'd rather we were staying here. It sounds unbearably hot out there - but we've booked so we have to go," he said.

How many holidaymakers will remember this year's heatwave when they come to book their two-week holiday for 2024 later this year or in the depth of winter?

The comparatively brief scorching heatwaves we endured last summer were enough to persuade many that ultra-high temperatures are not comfortable.

The unrelenting heat that goes on for weeks that we have seen this year may be very damaging for the Med's tourist industry - particularly when trying to sell to northern Europeans.

The idea of guaranteed sun used to be a selling point. Now it looks like a curse.

So can the domestic tourist industry step up and meet this challenge? As someone who generally goes on holiday in the UK (and never uses the S-word) I really hope so.

But we do need to learn from foreign tour operators about what kind of holidays people want.

The UK holiday market tends to be dominated by self-catering and short-breaks and for many of us they are just the kind of holidays we want.

But there is a market for all-in holidays where you pay in advance and know you won't have to worry about extra costs - that is what many foreign packages offer and what has never really been developed since the heyday of the 1950s seaside guest house in the UK.

Of course one or two hot summers do not provide conclusive evidence that the all-in holiday package to the Med or anywhere else in southern Europe is dead.

But all the projections are that this kind of extreme weather is going to become the norm - if people do go on holiday to these kind of places they will probably try to avoid the summer months.

Yet with school holidays being as they are, July and August will still be the busiest holiday times.

Is the UK tourist industry ready to exploit the opportunities that it is being presented with?