In search of heat and sun this summer, the French have mainly headed to the south of the country for their vacations, according to a PAP study published Tuesday June 18, 2024. According to the rental platform, vacationers have this year bet in regions where the climate does not hold unpleasant surprises. A sign of this trend, Normandy and Brittany are recording a decline in reservations compared to 2023, reports RMC Conso .
Logically, Corsica and the Côte d’Azur are popular this summer, with an increase in reservations of 11.3 and 7.7% respectively. In Haute-Corse, the increase is even 19.8%. On the continent, several departments show increases of more than 10%, such as Ardèche, Vaucluse and Var. As for seaside resorts, those in the South are more successful than the others, particularly on the Mediterranean coast and particularly in the Pyrénées-Orientales.
The effect of the Olympics
This year, the French also seem to have chosen to leave later. The first weeks of summer recorded reservation drops of 12% in June and July compared to 2023. In August, the figures started to rise again just after the official end of the Paris 2024 Olympics. Over the last three weeks of In August, reservations jumped 32%, and 18% in September.
“The celebration of the Olympic Games in France is tinged with distrust for some vacationers, underlines the study. Many of them fear high prices and too strong a tourist presence. A workaround strategy could explain the drops in demand before and during the Olympics, as well as the sharp increases afterward. »
Read also: 2024 Olympic Games. 45% of non-Paris residents have not yet reserved their accommodation
Have the Olympics had an impact on reservations in the capital? Yes, but measured, answers the PAP study. An increase of “only” 10.7% was recorded in Paris between July 27 and August 9. “It’s a very moderate increase compared to the media excitement that accompanies the Olympics,” comments the platform. As a reminder, a total of 15 million tourists are expected in Paris for the sporting event.
