Is it economic patriotism or fiscal prudence? A genuine interest in long-distance hiking trails, or the fear of being stranded by a positive Covid-19 test at Athens airport? Whatever the reasons, the French confirmed, in the summer of 2021, their interest in France, despite the lifting of restrictions on departure in Europe.
Nearly six in ten French people left for weekends or holidays in July-August, with an extension of the length of stay. This departure rate, up 6 points compared to 2020, according to ADN Tourisme, the national federation of tourism institutions, focused on France at 89%, a figure almost equivalent to 2020, when going to the The stranger seemed particularly risky.
This summer Francophilia should contribute to a tourist frequentation in the same waters as that of the heart of summer 2019. Not enough to compensate for the closures at the beginning of the year, immediately underline the hosts, whose summer assessment can only be drawn up. at the end of a month of September which presents itself well.
Shameful weather and tan
Eighteen months of crises have somewhat changed the French tourist, more attentive to his body and his environment. Not to the point, however, of making him lose the desire for the sun. More than the health situation, it is the sky that has served as a compass for holidaymakers in this gloomy summer. Back to work, those who have given in to the fashion of Brittany promise that they will not be taken back there and those who have seen the sun would almost have a shameful tan.
“With the health situation, many people have put themselves in a ‘last minute’ mode,” says Michael Dodds
At the start of the school year, tourism professionals are like their customers: they talk about the weather. Brittany and Normandy, the only territories in retreat from the summer of 2020, blame the greyness. “With the health situation, a lot of people have put themselves in a ‘last minute’ mode, and in this case, you adjust according to the weather”, notes Michael Dodds, head of the Normandy Regional Tourism Committee (CRT). The Briton, abandoned by his compatriots held on the other side of the Channel and by Americans fond of the D-Day beaches, fears figures ” under [ses] expectations “, despite the intact attractiveness of its seaside resorts.
The French have got into the habit of deciding their vacation at the last moment. At Pierre et vacances-Center Parcs, where occupancy rates are slightly higher than “pre-Covid-19” standards, 39% of stays were booked in the previous fortnight. One in two booked in Villages Vacances France (VVF) is done within three weeks of arrival.
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