The French could not leave at Easter but they intend to take advantage of it for the May bridges.
Since Jean Castex announced the end of the 10 km travel limit for May 3, reservations have been pouring in for the four-day Ascension weekend and the three-day Pentecost weekend.
For several days, SNCF has recorded 150,000 daily sales. If the state of reservations remains late by - 60% compared to the month of May 2019, the thrill is noticeable. "Obviously, the French want to leave," notes Christophe Fanichet, Chairman and CEO of SNCF Voyages. We have learned to be responsive. We are going to put together the long-distance transport plan. "The railway company will gradually move from 4 TGVs out of 10 currently running to" 8 TGVs out of 10 on average from May 7 ".
“But this average hides great disparities depending on the day and the line, observes Christophe Fanichet.
Almost all trains will run on weekends.
It's more hollow during the week.
Geographically, trains to the West (Brittany, Aquitaine, Pays de la Loire) and the South-East are full, unlike those to Hauts-de-France or the Grand-Est.
For example, all our trains to go back to Paris from the Atlantic coast are already full on Sunday May 16 ”.
Either… the last day of the Ascension Bridge.
Customers are all the less reluctant to buy their train tickets as all reserved journeys can always be canceled and refunded free of charge up to three days before departure.
With the end of the 10 km limit, "the starting signal was very clear in people's minds"
Even sudden rush observed on the side of the campsites. “For two weeks, we have recorded a rush of reservations. All French, especially from the Paris region, ”says the Donjon de Lars campsite, owned by the Cap Fun brand. Located in Courseulles-sur-Mer in Calvados, this 4-star open-air establishment, with a heated swimming pool and direct access to the beach, is already full for the Ascension. “Our 350 mobile homes are reserved and we are almost full for Pentecost, we congratulate ourselves on the spot. Some customers had postponed their canceled reservations from early April to May, but many people also wanted to get ahead of government announcements to make sure they had space."With all the more ease that the" relax "offer of Cap Fun allows to be reimbursed free of charge in the event of contamination by the Covid of a traveler or of new confinement.
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“Until the announcement of the end of the 10 km limit, our reservation rates were not bad for July and August, but customers were very wait-and-see for May, also notes Olivier Lachenaud, general manager of Camping Paradise vacation.
The starting signal was very clear in people's minds, even though they don't know what the 10 km limit could be replaced with.
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The franchise of 44 campsites is seeing a "real reboot" in bookings, facilitated by the guarantee of a free refund in the event of cancellation.
“People go to areas that do not exceed three hours' drive from home: the West for Parisians, the South for Lyonnais, but not only, analyzes Olivier Lachenaud.
We can also see this phenomenon in green France: our two campsites in Cantal and Puy de Dôme are recording the same acceleration in reservations.
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What to catch the most patient travelers by surprise?
“6 to 7% of our stock available on Ascension week leaves each day.
We are at 40% fill rate for the moment.
But at this rate, in a week, many of our campsites will be full, ”warns the general manager of Camping Paradis.
