2023-07-04 04:30:11
Tourists come to cool off and have lunch at the Loire Lamantin guinguette, in Chaumont-sur-Loire (Loir-et-Cher), June 18, 2023. NICOLAS WIETRICH / NICOLAS WIETRICH
“Finally, we will be able to leave, but it is clear that we will not be crazy. » A few days ago, Géraldine Natal was not sure of being able to rent this cottage in Brittany which made her want so much, near Saint-Malo (Ille-et-Vilaine), with her husband and her three children. “The eldest, who starts working, will contribute to the costs”, says this secretary in national education who lives in Boé, in Lot-et-Garonne. This year, she admits, the household, which earns around 4,000 euros a month, has had more difficulty putting money aside. “We will still be in a vacation spirit, even if on the way back we know that we will have to be more careful”, she assures.
Despite inflation, which for months has been undermining household purchasing power, the holiday ritual is more sacred than ever for the French.
“They will opt for accommodation with friends or family or they will go camping rather than giving up their vacation”, explains Alix Merle, economist at Xerfi, a group that does sector studies, pointing to the traces left by the confinements during the Covid-19 pandemic. At this stage, the government estimates that 73% of French people plan to go on vacation, especially in France, during the summer period. An optimistic figure in view of certain opinion polls, for which nearly 40% of French people will not leave this summer.
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Those who can make trade-offs. Like Céline Becquaert, another resident of Lot-et-Garonne, near Agen, many people prefer a less distant departure or a shorter duration. This home-based organic products consultant has chosen this year to make “several short breaks of a few days” over the summer when food prices (especially organic) and her gas bill ate into her budget. “This year, it will be a little camping, a little mobile home that acquaintances rent me for less and a jump in the family”, she describes. “I planned to go to a festival. But instead of the three days, I will only stay one night there,” she adds, eager despite everything to ” cut ” with his home, even if it’s not for a big trip.
Change of scenery and disconnection
Certain leisure activities, such as amusement parks, also seem to benefit from this choice of proximity. Parc Astérix can testify to this. After welcoming a record number of visitors in 2022 (more than 2.6 million), the latter experienced historic crowds during the months of April and May. “It is plausible that we benefit from an effect of arbitration between real distant holidays and a shorter stay in an exotic environment”, recognizes Delphine Pons, its general manager. The Park is also supporting this trend by building new hotels.
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