Didier Arino: The previous holidays were disrupted, so summer is the focus of all departures. We are recording record figures on departure intentions for July and August in paid accommodation in France. The intentions of departures are extremely strong.
35 million French people intend to go on vacation, that’s 2 million more than in 2020, and we will reach the 36 million mark on arrival. Of these 35 million, 8 million plan to go abroad, it is still not neutral. Usually we are on a 70% France ratio, and 30% foreign. In 2021, we will be on 80/20 … As a reminder in 2020, only 6% of French people have gone abroad.
TourMaG.com – In France, what types of accommodation are popular?
Didier Arino: Reservations have accelerated, and we had a crossing of the 2020 – 2021 curves and now the figures show an advance compared to mid-May. However, there are important nuances depending on the destination and the operator.
The furnished apartments have taken a very good lead. The Gîtes de France in particular are doing well. We note the very good behavior of the campsite. Foreign customers have already positioned themselves, the question that remains is: will these customers hold their positions? We can hope so with the opening of the borders.
The holiday villages which had accumulated a lot of delay are catching up. Tourist residences, which were also late, have slipped into second gear, and surpassed 2020 levels. However, they have not yet reached the 2019 thresholds. As for the hotel industry, it has taken a few steps ahead by compared to last year and is climbing over the weeks.
The month of July is particularly well booked and all the beautiful products are acclaimed.
TourMaG.com – So the professionals are calm for the coming season?
Didier Arino: Last year they started the summer with 12% occupancy rate and ended at 80%. They were worried. They have already experienced this situation in a different configuration. This time the government has clearly stated the phases of deconfinement: it was done earlier, with more transparency and less contradiction.
The operators are not worried about this summer, they know that there will also be the last minute. And then they have a real card to play in showing that the measures and protocols put in place are effective. There has been no cluster in tourism establishments. This seriousness is very important and it is absolutely necessary to keep it.
Clusters have appeared more in families, meetings with friends or in the workplace.
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