Despite inflation, many tourism professionals are optimistic. According to the organization Les Entreprises du voyage, which represents 1,600 companies, the budgets devoted to spring break are up sharply.
“ French people who take spring break spend 29% more on their budget than in 2019, and 25% more than last year “, note in a press release Les Entreprises du Voyage. Ie business volume forecast for the spring holidays, increased by 16% compared to 2019, the pre-Covid reference year.
Jean-Pierre Mas, president of Travel Companies, evokes a phenomenon of ” revenge travel ” Or “ journey of revenge, to catch up » : “ On the leisure part, the delay has been erased and we are heading towards an unambiguous upward trend with, however, this increase and widening of the social divide, that is to say that there are some who can no longer leaving and who were leaving, and those who can continue to leave spend a little more, he analyzes. But the general trend is upward. »
Inflation driving up tour operator revenues
This development is also linked to the increase in air fares and more generally that of all tourist services “, continues the organization which brings together 1,600 travel agencies and tour operators. ” Because of inflation the income is excellent », the cost of trips to around ten « flagship countries for Voyageurs du Monde having increased by 15% to 20% compared to 2019, explained on France Inter the CEO of the group, Jean-François Rial.
For the summer, the number of reservations exceeds by 35% that recorded on the same date last year and by 8% that of 2019, before the health crisis, according to Les Entreprises du Voyage.
” On the business travel part, on the other hand, we do not find, and by far, the levels of 2019emphasizes Jean-Pierre Mas. We are around 85%. And I think that we will never find the levels of 2019, with the development of teleworking, video. Then companies noticed during the Covid crisis that, without moving, they could have the same results as by moving and therefore, it was easy to cut that budget. »
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(And with AFP)