“It’s good to hear foreign people talking at this time of year! » In Aigues-Mortes (Gard), a few kilometers from the Mediterranean, this restaurateur is starting to speak English with satisfaction. At the foot of the ramparts of the city of Saint-Louis, the pre-season brings smiles to tourism professionals. After two blank springs due to the pandemic, the return of holidaymakers from Northern Europe can be seen as far away as Port Camargue, the largest marina in Europe.
“The Germans, Belgians and Swiss have returned to their pre-pandemic habitsexplains Stéphan Baptiste, member of the group of hoteliers from Grau-du-Roi, the only town in the Gard located by the sea. It’s quite comforting for us. They have good purchasing power and keep the resort alive outside the summer period. We have an increase of about 50% in the number of foreign customers in a few weeks. » This optimism is also fueled by bookings that herald a fine summer. “It’s a clientele that is committed, continues the hotelier. Families reserve long-term stays with non-cancellable and non-refundable formulas. »
“Come during off-peak periods”
In the department of Gard, tourism represents 13% of the GDP. If the last two summer seasons “have been very good on the coast”, recognizes Stéphanie Aillet, director of the tourist office at Grau-du-Roi, the seaside resort has suffered badly from the health context, amputating the fallout from before and after the season, which usually attracts a retired customers. The drop in foreign customers was estimated at 40% in 2020 and 2021.
“Here, historically, we have a large German clientele”explains Jean-Marc Groul, founding director of the Seaquarium marine aquarium, open since 1989. “For the past two years, the Swiss and the Belgians have been resisting and still coming. We got used, outside the summer season, to hearing only French spoken. It’s true that, for several weeks, the Germans but also the Dutch have been back. »
“Reservations are made at the last minute, almost all year round. The pandemic has reinforced this phenomenon of short stays » Stéphanie Aillet, director of the tourist office at Grau-du-Roi
In the neighboring medieval city of Aigues-Mortes, the little train embarks for a twenty-minute walk Belgian families and their young children, German pensioners, too. Boris and Amber explain “having looked at the calendar of French and German holidays to come during the off-peak period”. “It’s brand new! we explain to the tourist office. Foreign tourists are just coming back. »
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