2023-09-14 08:20:57
Didier Arino claims not to have “never seen such reversals in twenty-five years in the business”. On the basis of two surveys carried out before and during the season, the associate general director of the Protourisme firm measured the large gap between the initial projects and their reality. “Two and a half million French people, who were planning a real vacation in summer, ultimately did not take one or were content with short stays (less than seven days), or even postponed the date of their trip. It is therefore likely that 500,000 of them have finally left or are leaving in September or October, in order to benefit from better accommodation rates, the main item of expenditure during the holidays. »
Sometimes excessive hotel rates
After the peak of July and August, hotel room and rental rates decrease on average by 30%, or even by half, in cities where business tourism does not take over.
The savings made are not insignificant, especially since in certain regions hotel prices have jumped by 30% since 2019, as Tourism Minister Olivia Grégoire lamented at the beginning of September: “That there has been a rebalancing following the years of pandemic or even small increases to compensate for the rise in energy prices and to rebuild its cash flow, this is normal and understandable. That there are sometimes excesses, that is not the case. »
These price increases – which the profession also justifies by the need to increase salaries in a context of labor shortage – have, it seems, led some tourists to turn away from traditional hotels (– 2% attendance), for the benefit of campsites (+ 2%) and rentals between individuals (+ 11.8%).
Customers who no longer hesitate to negotiate
“These types of accommodation allow you to cook for yourself”continues Didier Arino, who also observes, at the other end of the chain, a craze for stays ” all-in “especially abroad. “This is also a way to control the meal budget. »
And when, despite everything, we opt for a hotel room, it’s ” more and more often “ by booking directly with the establishment, assures Franck Trouet, spokesperson for the union of independent hotel and restaurant workers, the GNI. “We search for our room on sites like Booking and then contact the hotel reception, to avoid paying commissions. It is no longer rare, moreover, for the customer to negotiate the price of the night. »
“Inflation, twice as high in the tourism sector (+ 12%), leads in any case to incessant arbitrage”, notes Didier Arino. In restaurants, we no longer necessarily have dessert or drinks. Or we limit the number of outings to only retain menus that stand out from the rest or terraces by the sea…
50 kilometers less between home and destination
Prices have not only risen in the area of accommodation and catering, they are also on the rise in transport, whether for train and plane tickets or for fueling up. pump. “This increase in prices has led our customers to reduce the distance between their home and their destination by an average of 50 kilometers this year. », indicates Nicolas Beaurain, general manager of Maeva, the Internet brand of the Pierre et vacances group. A phenomenon which may have contributed to the success of numerous tourist sites in Hauts-de-France or Brittany.
Nicolas Beaurain also notes other solutions to the erosion of purchasing power: “Many more users of our platform than last year are paying in four installments free of charge. They opt less than in the past for two-week stays and instead leave for a week, or even treat themselves to getaways of a few days. Finally, they often rely on last minute offers to leave at a lower cost. »
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