Var, Morbihan … The privileged destinations in France for the Ascension weekend

Rush on booking platforms for tourist stays. After the announcement on Thursday April 29 of the lifting of travel restrictions on May 3 by the President of the Republic Emmanuel Macron, many French people decided to book for the Ascension weekend. On Monday May 3, on the PAP Vacances site, the number of requests was more than 25% higher than in 2019. The Gîtes de France also saw the occupancy rate climb by more than ten points during this long weekend. after the announcements.

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The French intend to take advantage of the first breath of fresh air of the year. ” Health restrictions are gradually being lifted and Météo France announces temperatures above seasonal averages: people want to take a breather », Notes Nicolas Peypoch, researcher at the University of Perpignan, specialist in tourism issues.

Var, Morbihan, Charente-Maritime, Vendée, Calvados are, in order, the first choices in reservations on PAP Vacances. The classification is similar at Airbnb, since only Vaucluse, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Gironde and Seine-Maritime are added to the aforementioned departments. The trend is not new, but it is amplified and the bulk of departures will be towards the coasts. New, the sustainability of which will have to be measured, the campaigns are making good progress compared to the pre-crisis years. “Interest in rural and coastal destinations continues to grow, explains Emmanuel Marill, director of Airbnb in Europe. There is a 40% increase in searches for rural destinations. The cities, they are shunned.

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” Tourists reduce the distance, they promote domestic tourism, continues Nicolas Peypoch. There is a tendency towards a tourism of proximity, which benefits the hinterland and which goes beyond the sanitary restrictions. »Phenomena amplified by restrictions on movement beyond national borders. Especially since the European health pass will not see the light of day before the end of June.

These renewed attractions will have to be watched once the Covid crisis is over. “ The economic model is not going to change fundamentally, tempers the economist. There will be strong resilience for traditional tourist destinations. “

Last minute at private homes

In the meantime, the ambient uncertainty is strongly affecting tourist consumption habits. Professionals now speak ” ultra last minute »For reservations. The different platforms adapt. The giant Airbnb ensures that to date two thirds of the ads on its site are cancellable – sometimes for a fee. The Pierre et Vacances group notes that for the month of May, 50% of reservations already made were made at the last moment.

Last lesson, the hotel offer is always reduced, it is in private homes that the French will mainly go to sleep during the Ascension weekend. Even shy, the reboot is here.