the great return of tourists to France
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Monday, August 29, 9:30 a.m.: the schoolbags were not filled and the swimsuits were still on the washing line when Olivia Grégoire, Minister Delegate for Tourism, hastened to take stock of a summer “particularly efficient”. An early press conference – September being a precious month for French tourism –, while the spreading of summer flows is a priority for the sector.
However, as the Minister, whose portfolio also includes small and medium-sized enterprises, trade and crafts, conceded from the outset, there was an urgent need to rejoice: “Good news is pretty rare these days. » If the figures remain to be consolidated (the ministry affirms, on the basis of an opinion poll, that seven out of ten French people went on vacation this summer), summer tourist consumption should contribute to pushing back the specter of recession, the sector weighing around 8% of gross domestic product, and much more in the third quarter.
As the level of reservations and the high attendance of the long spring weekends suggested, the French who can afford it have largely satisfied their need for holidays, despite the high prices and the economic and climatic vagaries.
In an anxiety-provoking context, these figures give the summer of 2022 an air of ultimate breathing, before a return to school laden with clouds. The sunny weather across the country has also encouraged day trips and visits to amusement parks, which sometimes act as a fallback solution for households unable to travel far from home.
Mobile phone data, analyzed by ADN Tourisme, the umbrella organization of tourist offices, shows French attendance down over the last two summers; French stays abroad have almost returned to their pre-crisis level, but it is above the level of 2019, as is European attendance, which is on the rise. More precise and consolidated figures – French tourism is notoriously lacking in this area – will be necessary to determine which territories have benefited from these flows, but the impression dominates of a return to pre-pandemic habits, with a strong attraction for the coast and towns.
General decrease in cash payments
Some strong trends that appeared during the Covid-19 are confirmed: local tourism and mid-mountains, roaming, rental between individuals, travel by bike or train. Thus, the SNCF sold 10% more long-distance tickets than in 2019 (+ 15% for TER).
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