After a drop in the number of stays recorded during a summer of 2023 marked by drought and fires, the trend has improved this season for the approximately 700 Gîtes de France labeled accommodations in the Pyrénées-Orientales. With almost 10% more bookings this yearowners return to the occupancy levels seen in 2022.”The pre-season was very good” “welcomes Gilbert Carbou, the president of Gîtes de France in the Pyrénées-Orientales.”We also filled up a lot in August and we see that the late season is also positive for bookings in September and October.”
There remains one black point, however. Last July, the number of stays dropped by almost 22%.. “We have a difficulty during this period” recognizes Gilbert Carbou who mentions the last legislative elections to explain this decline. The habits and constraints of vacationers also seem to be changing.We have family clients who are often only available from mid-July.” analyses Stéphanie Nedelec, the director of the Sud France cooperative, which markets Gîtes de France stays in the Pyrénées-Orientales.Children’s exam results sometimes come out late. Families who haven’t left yet, seniors who prefer to leave at another time: ultimately we really have a lack of demand for this month of July.”.
So how do you reclaim July? Some owners are considering change pricing strategy. “Maybe July should no longer be considered high season. We may have to review our prices for this period to try to attract more people back.”. For Stéphanie Nedelec, it is also necessary “play on flexibility” and offer many more short stays and “not just by the week anymore”.
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