Confined within their borders: the French have largely favored travel within the country in 2021, once the spring restrictions have been lifted. Despite the wide reopening of borders, European in particular, France remained their preferred destination last summer, as indicated by the INSEE tourism report for 2021.
They found second homes with family or friends, campsites and tourist residences, so that the hosts resisted the absence of the main foreign customers, Americans and British. Visitation to commercial accommodation in France fell by a quarter, less than competing destinations (-45% in Spain, -35% in Italy). Non-commercial accommodation – family and friends – is at a level almost equivalent to 2019, despite two months of severe travel restrictions in early spring.
In the commercial sector, it is the campsites and tourist residences that have benefited the most from the French desire for France, and in particular the top of the range. In the second half of the year, these types of accommodation were on par with 2019, despite the absence of a certain foreign clientele.
Towards normalization
Thus, the Americans missed the hoteliers and the British the campsites, in particular because of the difficulty of crossing the borders. The Italians and Spaniards have also traveled little to France, unlike other neighboring countries whose nationals have come to seek the sun on the Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts: the Dutch, now the first foreign clientele, the Belgians and the Swiss, massively income from the summer.
Ile-de-France and provincial towns are the territories that suffered the most in 2021, due in particular to the drop in business travel. The Grand-Est and Hauts-de-France are also experiencing lasting disaffection. The mountains and the countryside regained, in the second half of the year, a level of attendance equivalent to 2019, and the coast did even better, in particular due to a good late season.
The start of 2022 signals a return to normal in tourist numbers, including business travel and international stays. The balance of payments figures communicated on May 9 by the Banque de France also show, for the first quarter, a surplus of 3.9 billion euros in the “travel” item. It is explained by the return of Americans and the renewed attractiveness of Paris, while the French likely to go abroad have favored stays in the mountains, where the ski lifts had reopened.