The drought and the heat wave modify the choices of the French for their holidays in France

As we know, the French have absolutely no intention of sacrificing their summer vacation despite inflation. But another variable comes into play: the weather. The risks of heat waves, drought, restrictions linked to these conditions, in particular for swimming pools, do they modify the choices of consumers for their holidays in France?

The answer is yes according to tourism professionals interviewed by BFM Business. Abritel.fr (rental of houses and apartments between individuals) thus confirms “a strong interest in regions that are not known for their high temperatures”.

Specifically, the platform points out that the coast of the North-West neighborhood “is experiencing the greatest increase in searches for vacation rentals compared to last year with almost +25%, from Pas-de-Calais to Loire-Atlantique through Normandy and Brittany ” .

The Pas-de-Calais, the Channel, Brittany are full

Pas-de-Calais is experiencing the greatest research progress ahead of Manche, Côtes d’Armor, Finistère, Ille-et-Vilaine and the Somme (searches conducted from January 1 to April 28, for stays between July 8 and September 4, 2023, editor’s note).

If the issue of climate comes into play, Abritel also points out that these destinations “are more affordable than those in the south, vacationers there pay on average a rental price per night in July-August between 30 and 50% lower” .

Same tone on PAP.fr where, to date, rental bookings in Brittany and Loire-Atlantique are up 13.6%, while those on the Côte d’Azur have fallen by more than 21%.

For the departments of the South Atlantic, the decrease is 7% and 9% for Languedoc or 12% for Vaucluse. The record drop is in Corsica with -30% in one year.

Still, the presence of a pool can change the situation. Reservations for a house with a pool on the Côte d’Azur have fallen by only 8.7% in one year.

The success of these apparently “temperate” destinations is confirmed by the annual holiday barometer produced by Ipsos for Europ Assistance.

If “the PACA region is still at the top of the most popular regions (24%), Brittany is entering the top 3 this year with 21% intention to go there”, we can read.

At campsites, the question of swimming pools

France offers the first camping park in Europe and the second in the world after the United States, with 7,500 campsites, 3,900 of which have a swimming pool area. Example in the Pyrénées-Orientales, which is already experiencing drought alerts and where more than half of the campsites are equipped with swimming pools.

The prefecture and tourism players in the region have implemented measures to drastically save water but without having to order the closure of the pools.

All the campsites in the Pyrénées-Orientales have also committed through the Departmental Federation of Outdoor Hotels to take measures to reduce their water consumption by 30%.

What to reassure vacationers?

Pyrénées-Orientales prefect Rodrigue Furcy told AFP in early June that he had noticed “an air hole in the reserves.” “But here we go again,” he added, while the president of the local campsite federation, Paul Bessoles, underscored the “good resilience” of customers.

“We had a little break at the beginning of July, people were afraid of not having a swimming pool, we received a lot of phone calls,” confirms Joëlle Faille, manager of Front de Mer, a campsite in the region.

However, the trend is in the search for freshness. According to the Campings.com reservation platform, “there is a clear decrease for hot and dry destinations” with -17% for the Pyrénées-Orientales, -27% for the Var.

By contrast, the west coast is a success with +11% for Finistère, +16% for Morbihan, +12% for Vendée and +29% for Charente-Maritime.

Vacationers anticipate and also look for rentals equipped with air conditioning. Example in Hérault, where 64% of customers have booked accommodation with air conditioning, this is 16 points more in one year.