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More than three quarters of French people have planned to take a vacation this summer while 64% will indeed leave their daily lives to breathe away from home. But if the health and climate crises have redefined aspirations when leaving, new ways of traveling do not always concern the majority. The proof.
No, the French do not dream of mountains and countryside for summer vacations
No one has forgotten the scorching temperatures of the 2023 summer season which made summer visitors want to change tack by preferring seaside resorts on the banks of the Channel or the North Sea. In the same way, the health crisis and the rule of 10 km then 100 km during confinements had brought up to date the benefits of a stay in the countryside.
However, one should not be too hasty in drawing conclusions when imagining deserted seaside resorts in the middle of August. According to the last Europ Assistance barometer* carried out by Ipsos, no less than 62% of French people say they are attached to vacations by the sea, with 25% fans of the Côte d’Azur and 21% who prefer Occitanie. Moreover, if summer visitors prefer beach stays abroad, they favor Spain (15%), Italy (10%), Portugal (5%) or Greece (5%).
No, “workation” has not become the norm
From the health crisis, we have adopted a new work organization, for those who have learned to carry out their professional tasks from home. Some employees even maintain memories of their office set up in Madeira or the Canary Islands when they escaped confinement in their 20 m2 Parisian studio. They then reconciled work and vacation, even prompting the creation of the neologism “workation”, a contraction of “work” (work in English) and “vacation” (vacation). More than 60 countries around the world have even adapted their regulations to provide specific visas for teleworkers, like Estonia, which was the first country to officially establish resident status for teleworkers just a few months after the start of the first confinement.
But from there to imagining “workation” as a new popular way of traveling, there is a world of difference. According to the extensive Europ Assistance report carried out in 21 countries, this practice only concerns 27% of European travelers while in France this rate rises to 20%. This is the lowest with that of the Czechs (18%). Unsurprisingly, those under 35 are the most interested in this logistics (35%). Moreover, when the project comes to fruition, working holidays do not necessarily take place on the other side of the world, on the edge of an idyllic beach, but more in France (44%) and in a seasonal rental (36 %).
No, vacationers are not (yet) traveling green
On the occasion of the last world tourism fair in Paris, a vast study ofAccor European Trends gave the impression that we were at a turning point in ecological awareness when thinking about travel. Of the 8,000 travelers surveyed in seven European countries, almost three quarters (71%) said they wanted to integrate the principles of sustainable development into their travel plans. Except that from words to actions, there is often room for maneuver, especially since the need to think about the planet, even during vacations, reveals itself as a new source of mental load. 43% of vacationers who are planning long-term stays over the next twelve months admit to feeling guilty when they make choices that are not in line with their promise, reported a study by Booking.com.
However, climate change is already having an impact on travel, with 54% of French people admitting to being less enthusiastic about the idea of experiencing a heatwave during the holidays. And at the same time, 44% of Europeans fear natural disasters. Except that habits are not so easy to change, especially when you organize a vacation in your own country, as is the case for 42% of French people. The car thus proves to be an essential for 68% of French holidaymakers. They are even more numerous than the European average to choose this mode of transport (55%). Ultimately, only 36% of French people have adopted a more CO2-efficient means of travel.
The 2024 edition of the annual Holiday Barometer from Europ Assistance and Ipsos was carried out in 21 countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Italy, France, Spain, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Portugal, Belgium, Poland, Czech Republic, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, India, Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia and Australia. For each of these countries, a representative sample of 1,000 consumers aged 18 and over, constituted using the quota method (sex, age, profession) after stratification by region and city size, responded to an online questionnaire. The survey was conducted from March 27 to April 22 and covered consumers’ vacation plans and travel preferences.