Winter holidays are usually the time to head out to the powder in the mountains or the heat of the southern hemisphere.
But at the start of 2021, the Covid-19 pandemic, aggravated by the spread of variants, is still largely blocking tourism.
The vagueness remains on the reopening of the ski lifts of ski resorts in France, the date of which should be announced on January 20.
And many countries impose a quarantine period on travelers entering their territory, when they do not simply close their borders to tourists.
But traveling is still possible.
A negative PCR test is now used as a pass in a number of countries around the world.
Unsurprisingly, the most popular destinations for these February holidays are those with the least onerous access conditions and health restrictions on site.
Dubai acclaimed
This is the case of Dubai, which has risen to first place in the list of the most sought-after destinations, as confirmed by many tourism professionals.
The emirate usually attracts many travelers during this period.
But this year, the phenomenon seems to be taking on an unprecedented scale.
On the online flight comparator Kayak, the destination sparked twice as many searches in the week of January 4, 2021 than in the previous year, which was not yet marked by the pandemic.
Dubai also sits at the top of the list of destinations sought by the French for winter holidays for the past three weeks on the online booking site Expedia.
The same goes for the Liligo platform.
“
It is one of the least restrictive destinations, without being too far from France,”
remarks its managing director, Guillaume Rostand.
A Paris-Dubai flight lasts an average of 6 hours 40 minutes.
Read also: 48 hours in Dubai, caravanserai of lights on the Pirate Coast
French travelers can travel to Dubai, the only United Arab Emirates confetti open to tourism, provided they present proof of a PCR test carried out less than 96 hours before boarding.
They must also perform a second test less than 72 hours before boarding their return flight.
Conditions slightly more flexible than the average for countries open to tourism which, for the most part, require a test carried out within 72 hours before departure.
Read also: Going abroad: taking temperature, test ... What awaits the traveler on his return to France
"
As soon as there is a well-defined health protocol, air links can be put back in place, which then allows us to adopt a clear communication on the destination",
says Michel Quenot, Director of Tour Operating at Kuoni , for whom the destination is among the most requested for February 2021. The consistency of access conditions to Dubai, unchanged for several months, could therefore have helped the recovery of tourism.
Read also: Djebbari rejects the idea of a vaccine passport for travel
On the spot, the "lightness" of the sanitary restrictions has something to seduce.
The curfew has been lifted since June 25 and a large number of places are accessible with reinforced hygiene measures, such as temperature measurements.
Amusement parks, beaches, swimming pools, public transport, restaurants and cafes are open, while conventions and festivals are maintained.
Shopping centers are open to people under 70.
Wearing a mask remains compulsory in public places.
In addition to these less restrictive health restrictions than elsewhere, the emirate has, it is true, many advantages for travelers in search of escape.
Ultramodern hotels, luxury within reach and sunny beaches already made it a popular tourist destination before the pandemic, with 16.73 million overnight visitors in 2019 (+ 5.1%), according to the Ministry of Tourism and National Trade .
Read also: Travel: the 21 destinations to discover in 2021
Guadeloupe, Martinique ... The great classics hang on
Caravelle beach, in Sainte-Anne in Guadeloupe.
Jakob fischer
The overseas territories and departments are also among the destinations that most interest the French this year for the February holidays.
In particular, the French Antilles: Guadeloupe and Martinique rank second and third among the most popular destinations on Expedia for this period.
On Kayak, searches for flights during the week of January 4 to these two destinations even increased by almost 50% compared to the same period in 2020.
Another indicator of the popularity of overseas territories: Air France has recently reinforced its service to its territories, thanks in particular to the launch, in mid-December, of flights from Paris Charles-de-Gaulle to Pointe-à-Pitre and Fort-de -France, in addition to the offer from Paris-Orly.
Read also: Guadeloupe this winter: why you must discover Marie-Galante
Air Caraïbes also added flights in early December to the French Antilles, and to the Dominican Republic for February.
According to the company, these destinations benefit from the difficulties of other competing destinations, such as Mauritius or winter sports resorts.
“Despite this last-minute enthusiasm, the reservation levels of previous winters have not been reached, in particular due to the absence of certain players (cruise passengers), the closure of certain establishments
, nuance Edmond Richard, Deputy CEO of Air Caraibes.
Regarding February, we are still very late compared to last year's bookings at the same time, but the catching up has quickly started since early January. ”
Read also: Travel to Corsica: Covid tests remain mandatory in January
Access to Martinique and Guadeloupe is subject to presentation of a negative PCR test carried out less than 72 hours before boarding.
On site, the flexibility of sanitary measures adds to the sweetness of life that envelops the two islands.
There is no curfew and movement is free.
Museums, cultural sites and zoos are open, as are restaurants, whose airy terraces limit the risk of transmission.
In Guadeloupe, a vagueness persists even on the wearing of the mask, obligatory only in the frequented streets and in establishments open to the public.
Difficult to differentiate on site the streets in which it is mandatory.
London, New York, Bangkok ... The big absentees
The ski lifts of the ski resorts are at a standstill pending government announcements scheduled for January 20.
Michelangelo Oprandi
Among the losers of winter, we find not surprisingly the ski resorts.
The ski lifts being at a standstill, only ski touring or certain cross-country ski trails are accessible in France.
Read also: Cross-country skiing, snowshoeing ... what if this was the year for Nordic activities?
But the trend could still be reversed.
The French are still awaiting government decisions on the date of reopening of ski lifts in resorts.
Traditionally planned fairly early, stays in the mountains are organized this time at the last minute: train tickets are purchased on average only 5 days before departure this year.
“
Trains to the Alps, which are usually full a long time in advance, still have places at attractive prices
,
”
says SNCF which, for the first year, is offering a
low cost
offer
to the Alps until March, with Ouigo. .
Read also: Winter holidays: what to know before booking your train ticket
Traffic restrictions oblige, the distant destinations usually popular in winter are largely absent this year.
“
All the destinations that worked last winter outside of Covid are being shunned at the moment because they are too complicated in terms of quarantine.
Not to mention that travelers do not want to take the risk of being stranded in a faraway country
,
”
we are told at Air France, which cites Florida, Thailand and Indonesia.
London and New York, which were among the top 5 most searched destinations on the flight comparator Liligo last winter, are also shunned by the French.
At Kayak, the number of searches for Berlin, Bangkok or Los Angeles fell by almost 80% in December compared to the same period last year.
To these destinations, only certain categories of travelers are authorized (nationals of the country, students, family reasons, etc.) and commercial flights are severely limited or even prohibited.
Depending on the country, tourist trips are allowed, but a quarantine, payable by visitors, must be respected.
The United Kingdom, which has applied some of the strictest quarantine measures in Europe since the start of the pandemic, is imposing 10-day isolation and a screening test on travelers entering its territory.
Thailand re-established visa-free entry in mid-December, but visitors must follow many steps: first request an "entry certificate" from the embassy, have insurance covering the risks associated with Covid- 19, submit to a 14-day quarantine in a hotel approved by the authorities.
Enough to tarnish the most beautiful dreams of escape ...
Travelers will have to exercise a little more patience to satisfy their desires for elsewhere.
“
We can clearly see the appetite of customers as soon as a destination opens,
positive Michel Quenot.
If Mauritius were accessible, for example, customers would go there.
So there is no lack of envy.
