The need for holidays, stronger than tensions on purchasing power?
Despite price increases at all levels (accommodation, petrol, catering, food shopping, ski passes, etc.), 27% of the French traveled during the February school holidays, compared to 25% in 2019. Almost 80% of of them remained in France, allowing hoteliers to get off to a good start to the year.
Read the file Pension reform: our file to understand everything
In January, the RevPar (the key indicator for the sector) thus increased by 17.5% compared to 2019 and by 12.6% in February, still compared to 2019. “
The figures for the winter tourist season are positive and demonstrate that despite inflation, the French have still gone on vacation and that international customers have returned to France”,
rejoices Olivia Grégoire, Minister Delegate in charge of Tourism.
According to the National Observatory of mountain resorts at the beginning of March, the occupancy rate of accommodation reached 82% (compared to 87% last year),
“a good performance in view of the general context”
.
At this stage, the forecasts are rather encouraging for the coming months: according to the minister, almost six out of ten French people are considering a stay before the summer.
Read alsoTourism innovates to attract and retain seasonal workers
After a strong recovery in 2022, these figures have everything to reassure France's renewed attractiveness.
But the repeated strikes because of the pension reform are worrying.
Images of trash cans piled up in the streets of Paris and of overflows go around the planet.
“The excesses of violence that we have experienced in recent weeks have already had direct consequences on the economic situation of our actors in the shops, in the hotel industry, in the catering industry, generally in tourism, deplores Olivia Grégoire
.
It would be a shame to see these good figures undermined by a sharp drop in turnover linked once again to a few individuals who sow violence.
Already, some professionals are seeing cancellations for Easter.
