If the French have entered an era of “restrictions” on their food purchases due to double-digit inflation in this sector, they do not intend to sacrifice their vacations. In a socially and economically difficult context, the desire to leave, to escape, remains strong.
Better yet, according to various service providers, bookings for seasonal rentals or for hotels are up compared to 2022. So are budgets.
“Even in times of crisis, holidays are sacred,” underlines Lidl Voyages. A finding that is confirmed by Weekendesk. “In the current anxiety-provoking context, we observe, as tourism professionals, a strong desire to escape from the French, as an essential need to break with their daily lives. Many travelers are anticipating their future stays, despite inflation”, analyzes Sébastien. Venturini, CEO of the platform.
advance reservations
This translates into numbers. Lidl Voyages sees a 34% increase in the average basket for spring break compared to 2022.
Weekendesk announces a +118% reservation for May 1st and +70% for the weekend of May 8th. However, this progression must be put into perspective: in 2022, these holidays fell on a Sunday. At the same time, the platform points to an average basket that rises 13% to 355 euros.
However, it is still too early to speak of success. In France, some hoteliers, by contrast, see fewer bookings over a year, like Dominique Dupont at La Baule. “We are at 66% occupancy, last year we were at 100%,” he explains on BFMTV. Strikes and gasoline shortages seem to discourage travelers.
However, the desire to leave has translated into advance purchases. According to Lidl Voyages, most orders were placed 2-3 months in advance. As a result, only 19% of sales were made last minute compared to 30% last year.
The same goes for Weekendesk, which points out that a third of French people book their stay more than a month in advance.
On the destination side, “the trend for these vacations is to go with the family to destinations in the interior” for seasonal rentals, says Abritel.
the interior is popular
“The French are looking for options that offer good value for money to meet and spend time outdoors and as a family,” says a HomeAway spokesperson. “Choosing these destinations also puts you in better control of your transportation budget because leaving less far from home saves on gas and tolls. As a bonus, you can even take back roads to combine business with convenience. “Nice.”
Specifically, the searches for rentals a few hours from Paris that have experienced the largest increases in a year are: Cher (+90%), Aisne (+90%), Indre-et-Loire and Marne (+45%). .
The trend is the same near Lyon, with a strong increase in searches in Cantal (+70%), Allier (+65%), Haute-Loire (+65%) and even Saône-et-Loire (+55%) ).
Rome instead of Dubai
Among the French who want to go further, Spain (Madrid, Barcelona), Italy (Rome) and Portugal (Porto, Lisbon) lead the ranking of the best destinations, according to Expedia. The platform also highlights that choosing these destinations is not necessarily more expensive than going to France.
“At Easter we see that it is more interesting for the pocket to book a plane ticket to Madrid and Porto than to Biarritz and Marseille with a possible average saving of 70 euros to 100 euros per person (comparison based on the average price of an economy ticket of class for a trip from April 8 to May 8, 2023)”, he says.
Finally, the cultural aspect seems to weigh more in the choice of vacationers who go abroad. “The French are looking for places rich in culture like New York or Rome instead of flashy Dubai and Las Vegas, which were very popular last year. Travelers are no longer satisfied with the destination itself, they seek an immersive cultural experience at their hotel. says Expedia.
Source: BFM TV
