Fewer French people are likely to celebrate Christmas outside their homes this year. According to a study carried out by PAP Vacances between September 1 and December 13, reservation requests for stays during the winter holidays have decreased by 22.8% compared to 2021.
With the exception of city tourism (+45.5%), all destinations registered decreases in reservations, be it sea (-21.6%), countryside (-28%), overseas sea (-53.3% ) or mountain (-23.7%).
The weight of stays in the mountains in all reserves decreased 4 points (48.2%) compared to last year (52%). Inflation, with the rise in the price of package tours and accommodation, the cost of fuel, possible strikes by the SNCF are probably not unrelated to it. Not to mention the unfavorable calendar effect as Christmas falls on a Sunday this year, which complicates travel and the organization of New Year’s Eve.
The Vosges are going well
In detail, almost all the massifs see their reserves decrease: -28.2% for the Alps, -29% for the Jura, -30.5% for the Massif Central, -15.8% for the Pyrenees… Only the more affordable Vosges are doing well (+3.6%).
In fact, “the rental of an apartment for 4 people at the foot of the slopes of the La Bresse resort (largest ski area in the Vosges) is shown on PAPVacances.fr at 450 euros per week for the Christmas holidays, against 650 euros for a situation equivalent to La Plagne in Savoy, that is to say, 44% more expensive”, emphasizes PAP. The same for the lift pass sold at 36.50 euros per day in La Bresse, compared to 67% to access the La Plagne ski area.
Nearly one in four seaside reserves
For its part, the Mountain Stations Observatory highlights that the occupancy rate of tourist accommodation for winter holidays stands at 62%, only one point less in a year, but above all thanks to the first week of January in which there seems to be a clear drop for Christmas week.
Regarding the rest of the destinations, the sea receives 38.5% of the reservation requests for the Christmas holidays in PAP. Brittany and the Loire-Atlantique (27% of bookings by sea), the Côte d’Azur (17%) and Normandy (12%) stand out as the most popular coasts for the French.
The only destination category to progress, City achieved a modest market share of 2.2%, driven mainly by Paris and its suburbs (+52.1%) and Nice (+39.4%).
Source: BFM TV
