The government took advantage of the first day of summer to publish the figures for the upcoming tourist season. On Wednesday June 21, the Minister Delegate for Tourism Olivia Grégoire detailed the results of a survey conducted among 2,000 people by three organizations: the tourist development agency Atout France, the national federation of tourist offices ADN Tourisme and eleven regional committees. of tourism.
The figures thus promise to be very good for the sector: according to the study, 73% of French people plan to go on vacation between June and September 2023. That is 2% more than in 2022, according to the minister. And the rest of the study also seems to announce a summer of all records.
Three quarters of the French will leave
An increase in departures, which nevertheless takes place in the midst of a period of inflation, with an average increase in consumer prices of 5.1% in May 2023 according to INSEE.
This is perhaps what pushes the French to stay in France. According to Olivia Grégoire, three-quarters of those who intend to take a vacation say they want to stay in France. Similarly, “38% of them would seek less expensive accommodation”, according to the president of the federation of tourist offices François de Canson, quoted by the daily The world. This is three points more than last year.
Reservation books already well filled
Even if it means booking, you might as well book early. Even though summer is just beginning, reservations are already up 5% over the entire season compared to the same period last year, according to the survey cited by the Minister Delegate for Tourism.
In terms of destinations, nearly half of reservations were made on the coast (42%), followed by the countryside (21%), urban areas (12%) and the mountains (11%). They are also 8% to have chosen to go homeless.
The hotel industry is also pleased to have already sold 91 million overnight stays for the period from June to September 2023, according to the daily The world. Figures that seem to follow the trend at the start of the year: from January to May, the hotel industry was also a hit, with nearly three quarters of rooms reserved in mainland France, according to the study cited by the government. An increase of 7.5% compared to 2022, says Olivia Grégoire.
Foreign tourists as numerous as before the crisis
But it’s not just the French who are expected by the tourism sector. Another figure put forward by the government: an 18% increase in reservations for international customers compared to 2022.
If the number of foreign tourists has logically dropped during the health crisis, the minister has already noted a “return of international customers” since January 2023, with more than 20% increase in revenue compared to 2019, the reference year. in terms of tourism records before the global pandemic.
Despite the debates on the ecological crisis, commercial aviation also seems to have fully recovered from the Covid-19 crisis, since flights from China have fallen from 16 rotations per week in the spring of 2023 to 50 on the date of June 10.
Temperature records?
Therefore, Olivia Grégoire wants to be cautious but optimistic: the minister believes that there is a chance that France will “probably exceed the 2019 record” in terms of tourism. However, it does not exclude that the good figures of the study are called into question by external elements such as a major “climate event”.
Especially since French tourists already seem to be adapting their habits to the high temperatures of recent days. At the beginning of June, the rental site between individuals Abritel noted a 25% increase in searches for accommodation on the North-West coast, particularly in the Channel or Pas-de-Calais.