Rainy weather, declining attendance, low morale: what the figures say for the tourist season in 2024 in the country of Brest

After two record seasons in 2022 and 2023, tourist numbers in the summer season will slow down slightly in 2024 in the Brest Terres Océanes region.

• This drop in the number of overnight stays leads to a drop in the number of entries to tourist sites. Between April and September, more than 1.9 million entries were recorded in cultural and leisure facilities in the Brest region. This is 9% less than in 2023. The Ateliers des Capucins are experiencing one of the biggest declines with nearly 132,300 fewer entries than in 2023 (- 11%). Certain sites nevertheless stand out, such as the Daoulas Abbey (+ 35%), thanks to its “From samurai to kawaii” exhibition, the Virgin Island lighthouse (+ 22%) or the Tanguy tower. Note that local festivals (Astropolis, Fête du bruit, Bout du monde and Petites Follies) recorded 10,000 additional admissions compared to 2023.

  3 Professionals with low morale

• Professionals in the sector did not need these figures to realize the mixed season they were experiencing. Surveyed by the agency, they expressed their frustration: 59% of them declared themselves satisfied with the season only, compared to 81% in 2023. “Since 2017, this is the lowest satisfaction rate recorded by the investigation,” explains Adeupa. The prize for least favorite month goes to July, with a satisfaction rate of 37%. Among the reasons given, there are firstly the weather conditions, with the months of July and August six times rainier than in 2022, and lower temperatures and levels of sunshine than in previous years. Another explanation: the holding of the Olympic Games, which retained part of the French clientele, the majority in the summer in the country of Brest.

  4 Maritime festivals, the ray of sunshine

A rare brightening in this gloomy picture, the Brest 2024 Maritime Festivals have – a little – saved the season, with its 500,000 entries, including 330,000 unique visitors. But the 2024 vintage is doing less well than the previous vintage in 2016, with attendance down 25%. Adeupa also estimates that 40% of visitors to the Maritime Festivals were tourists, compared to 47% in 2016. The fault of the Olympics, once again, but also of the legislative elections, which may have retained some. Other small satisfactions of the summer: increases in the number of cruise passengers (29,300 in 2024 compared to 27,483 in 2024) and in attendance at Brest Bretagne airport (+ 20% traffic and + 5% incoming flights).