What is the profile of September holidaymakers? The late tourist season, which has been gaining momentum for several years, could be boosted by several factors.
For them, the start of the school year is a kind of jubilant release. The “Septembrists”, or more commonly the vacationers who take to the road for their holidays in September, once the majority of summer vacationers have returned, are arousing curiosity for at least two reasons this year. First, their profile. Will their ranks be swollen by volunteers and professionals requisitioned for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games? In the spring, the surge in online searches suggested as much. Then, their purchasing power: will they benefit from lower prices than the French who left during the high season? Here are some answers.
Length of stays, destinations… What is the profile of September vacationers?
Let’s start with the profile. Who are these Septembrists? “In general, these are people who can go against the flow.”explains without much surprise Lucile Grigné, head of the French market for VoyagesPirates, a platform specializing in travel tips. “Retirees, self-employed workers, students… We exclude all families with children in school”she adds. Those who work and leave when others return can afford to do so because “Now, companies allow people to take non-mandatory vacations, whereas before it was considered good to go away in July and August.”testifies the specialist.
This last customer segment has a huge advantage: flexibility, which can allow them to reduce the cost of their stay by up to 50%. “The possibility of adjusting your dates or destinations remains the condition for benefiting from better prices”she insists, while qualifying: “A good deal is not necessarily leaving at a better price but also, for example, taking advantage of quality accommodation, which you would not have obtained otherwise”.
For Frédéric Pilloud, marketing and e-commerce director of MisterFly, the September traveler typically wants to benefit from three advantages: there are fewer people and, with the help of controversies over peaks in overcrowding, “holidaymakers will avoid peak periods when they can” ; the prices are more reasonable with, this year, an average discount of “30% of airline ticket prices” compared to August; and the temperatures are milder. “This last argument gains weight for destinations in the Mediterranean basin”supports the specialist. Greece, Spain, Morocco… Hit by waves of heat waves or fires, these destinations play the climate card in the late season: the weather is nice there without that feeling of being crushed by the heat.
Despite all these advantages, September vacationers spend less time on the beaches. “Generally speaking, September enthusiasts go less far and for less time than in the July/August period, certainly because they have more constraints.”notes Frédéric Pilloud (MisterFly). The average length of stays is 9 tourist nights, compared to 15 in the middle of summer. This year should be no exception to this rule.
Prices, Olympic effect, heatwave… What are the specific features this year?
In the long term, the “summer heatwave” effect plays a role, including in September. “It’s a trend that we’ve seen for several years, and which seems to be confirmed this year.”says Lucile Grigné. Scotland, Scandinavian countries… At first glance, these destinations where the mercury remains mild in July and August seem to have attracted new visitor profiles this summer. But they will be much less popular this fall. Because France and part of Western Europe, unlike the rest of the world where heat records are being broken one after the other, experienced a contrasting summer in terms of weather, particularly in July. Result: a tenfold increase in the desire for sun for French customers this fall 2024. A great classic!
“The top destinations for September are changing very little according to our flight ticket search statistics, especially since prices are finally falling, with some exceptions.”confirms Guillaume Rostand, spokesperson for the comparator Liligo.com. Palermo, Florence, Rome, Santorini, Alicante, Funchal… the “blockbusters” from Italy, Spain, Greece and Portugal are popular this back-to-school month on Liligo, with the new entrant Valletta (Malta) and Morocco, in particular.
“The climate impacted users’ decisions, as the weather was very bad during July and Augustinterprets the head of VoyagesPirates. The ‘last minute’ is what is increasingly happening: Majorca, Egypt, Tunisia, Greece, Italy… These destinations are affordable and benefit from packaged and all-inclusive offers, which meet an increasingly strong demand. We can say today that September is the month of good deals and good plans, with in addition the hoteliers who lower their prices.“In terms of destinations, she notes a small change towards the “more eco-friendly” trend, particularly shorter flights. “This year, we are on shorter flights and the trip to the city is pushed back to autumn and winter. Above all, we are looking for nature.”notes Lucile Grigné.
As for a “YES effect”it will certainly be noticeable. While the Paralympic Games are also wowing the crowds, volunteers or professionals who worked at the end of July and in August are taking a few days of well-deserved rest. This customer segment “For September, book less in advance, because people want to be sure of the weather and there are fewer availability problems than in August: there is more choice and it is a luxury,” argues Lucie Grigné. Including in France, where the Mediterranean coast, which has regained its good levels of attendance, is betting on this late season.
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