As soon as you enter, the pretty Polynesian songs set the scene.
To the sound of percussion and other instruments, the dozen dancers and singers in shimmering traditional outfits perform rhythmically some movements characteristic of the Pacific region.
No doubt, a scent of vacation is already in the air at the World Tourism Fair, which takes place until this Sunday at Paris Expo Porte de Versailles (Paris 15th).
This 47th edition intends to travel around the world, with no less than 230 exhibitors, including many countries.
And many visitors came this Friday to stock up on ideas, like Françoise and Francis, former public assistance executives aged 70 and 65 respectively.
“
It’s not the first time we’ve come.
We really like to travel.
So, we are here to find inspiration
,” confides the couple, who recently stayed in Mexico.
The busy aisles reveal different profiles, between active retirees, but also younger people.
All driven by the desire to leave differently.
Or at least to treat yourself during a well-deserved vacation.
This good health of the show seems to reflect a tourism sector in full renaissance.
“We can consider that 2024 is the year of an almost return to normal.
Most countries are open to tourists again and the desire to leave is still very present
,” Xavier Rousselou, spokesperson for the Abritel, Expedia and Hotel.com brands, recently told us on our
Voyage Questions
podcast .
An analysis since confirmed by the World Tourism Organization, which depends on the United Nations.
“
Following strong results in 2023, international tourism is on track to return to pre-pandemic levels in 2024.”
It could even go a little beyond since the first estimates show figures
“up 2% compared to 2019 levels”.
“Our customers are booking earlier and earlier”
Where to go without breaking the bank?
How can we protect this precious moment?
So many questions that agitate visitors.
Paris Tourism Fair
The fact remains that the context of inflation is reshuffling the cards for a large part of future vacationers.
Where to go without breaking the bank?
How can we protect this precious moment?
So many questions that agitate visitors.
For those who still have the means to go, there is no need to organize at the last minute.
“We observe that our customers are booking earlier and earlier
,” explains Maïlys Magnier, regional manager of FRAM agencies.
Reservations take place from January for the summer holidays.
Previously, it was more in April.”
And Covid has changed our relationship with leave.
“The deprivation of travel has had an effect on certain people who want to protect their vacations at all costs
,” continues the FRAM representative.
To the point that 46% of French people declare going on vacation as a “vital need”, going so far as to sacrifice other daily expenses, according to a study by Raffour Interactif for the online travel agency Opodo.
This change in attitude is well received by travel agencies.
It reveals a need to control the budget as early as possible.
“
Now, customers want as many options as possible to be included in their stay to know in advance what they are going to pay,”
explains Matthieu Mariotti, production director for Kuoni, who had to modify his offer to accommodate them. include more
all-inclusive
hotels
.
It has also evolved some of its organized circuits.
“For Egypt
, for example, we included in our program an excursion to Abu Simbel
, which was previously optional.
Tips for the guides are even included.
The price has certainly increased by 20%, but everything is paid in advance.
There are no unpleasant surprises there.”
“
Excursions are more and more expensive, and not always of very good quality.
This is why we favor all-inclusive services.
»
This is confirmed by many visitors to the show, including Catherine and Jacques, 62 and 64 years old.
“Once it’s paid, it’s paid.
Excursions are more and more expensive, and not always of very good quality.
This is why we favor all-inclusive.”
The couple, who often trust their Carrefour Voyages agency to find them good deals, also take inspiration from what is on TV.
“We recently saw in a program the possibility of coming to stay with individuals for free in exchange for looking after the dogs
,” they say.
There is also the exchange of houses.
If they are not ready to take the plunge for this last option, this is not the case for many other French people.
HomeExchange, the leading house exchange platform, recorded a 53% increase in the number of stays in 2023. No less than 47,400 members are now registered in France, including more than 15,000 last year alone.
Go on vacation yes, but less far
Leave yes, sometimes for less time, but to go where?
The question of geography is titillating.
As flying becomes more and more expensive (the latest figures confirm this), some people decide to reduce the distance and favor less distant destinations.
A behavior that we now study in training dedicated to tourism professions.
“This is what we were able to study recently.
Many decide to move closer to home and focus on outdoor activities
,” explain Jeanne and Chloé, young students from Esthua, the faculty specializing in tourism in Angers, as we meet them at the bend of an alley.
The opportunity for certain sectors to stand out, such as cycle tourism.
Moreover, at the stand of the French Cycling Tourism Federation, visitors flock to get plenty of information.
“A lot of people came to see us today, interested in the ecological aspect, but also in the cost of cycling trips
,” observes Eric Bréal, who takes care of communications for the federation.
The numbers don't lie.
Between 2016 and 2020, the number of cyclists on cycle routes and greenways increased by +15%, according to the Ministry of the Economy.
More recently, the Vélo & Territoire network noted a 5% increase in bicycle use on a national scale, between 2022 and 2023. While accommodation may represent a certain cost, it reduces dramatically if we consider spends the night in bivouac or camping.
So many tips so that from now on, traveling no longer rhymes with breaking the bank.
World Tourism Fair (
Salons-du-tourisme.com
), Paris Expo Porte de Versailles – Pavilion 4. Until Sunday March 17 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. (Sunday: closing at 6 p.m.).
Admission €10 in pre-sale ticket, €12 on site, free for under 18s.
This ticket also gives access to Destinations Nature, the Hiking and Outdoor Show, and to the first edition of Expérience Nature, the Adventure & Vanlife film festival, on the same dates.
To listen
: Good deal alert: what if you exchanged your house for the next vacation?
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