“It’s a scandal.” For several days, Laurent Duc has not taken off. Between fuel shortages and the risk of the SNCF strike resuming, the president of the hotel branch of the Umih (Union of Hospitality Trades and Industries) foresees a somber All Saints holiday for tourism players .
According to the employers’ organization, hotels have already recorded 20-30% cancellations during the period, particularly in the PACA, Occitanie and Nouvelle-Aquitaine regions. The finding is the same at VVF where we see a “sales stream” that “slowed sharply this weekend with a 30% drop from last year” and cancellations that “have doubled since Friday.”
“We are very concerned,” says Stéphane Le Bihan, its general manager, who predicts “sales will almost come to a standstill if the transport situation is not resolved.” “We think we’re down 20 to 30% for the second week of vacation and 10% for the first.”
“The season will be a bit chaotic”
The first assessment of reserves, however, gave hope for a high level of tourist attendance on All Saints’ Day. But the persistence of fuel shortages has visibly discouraged many French people worried about not being able to travel with their car.
“We haven’t had reservations for three days. Last week we were full, it even filled up at the last minute,” Catherine Quesada, manager of the Mignon hotel in Avignon, told AFP. “Customers call us to tell us that they are worried and that they may be cancelling”, especially those who come from nearby European countries: “They come by car so they won’t be able to get there”, she laments.
The amusement parks are full.
Even if the strike at TotalEnergies is lifted, it will be several days before we expect a return to normalcy at the pump. As a result, “I think the season will be a bit chaotic the first week, and better the second if there is fuel”, predicts Laurent Duc. Owner of a hotel in Villeurbanne, he still expects to be negative on All Saints’ Day when hoteliers’ costs have skyrocketed.
In this context of scarcity and inflation prompting people to limit travel and spending, local tourism could work well: instead of booking holidays hundreds of miles away with the risk of running out of fuel, some tourists prefer short stays, sometimes without staying overnight, to destinations closer to home. In this sense, Compagnie des Alpes does not see any decrease in the reserves of its parks such as Futuroscope, Parc Astérix or France Miniature.
Source: BFM TV
