A tourist season that confirms its positivity, yet with some important reflections to be made regarding the ongoing changes in the choices of tourist-consumers. This is how the French Minister Delegate for Tourism, Olivia Grégoire, presented the initial assessment of the summer season in 2023. The press conference took place in Bercy on Tuesday, August 29, and saw the participation of executives from Atout France and ADN Tourisme alongside the delegated minister.
The return of foreign visitors, Asians also reappear
While awaiting the definitive analysis, which will be conducted at the end of September to consider the promising end-of-season data, France looks optimistically at its tourism figures. Even though some local areas have achieved results below expectations (especially in the south of the country), the national data is positive overall. In fact, the fear of a sharp decline due to inflation has been averted, and the 2023 season appears aligned with 2022: 7 out of 10 French people have gone on vacation for at least one weekend, and 88% have stayed within the national borders.
International clientele is returning with very reassuring percentages compared to 2022 (although the pre-pandemic level is still challenging to restore): +29% on long-haul flights, and regarding arrivals, there is a notable return of Americans (+22%), Canadians (+8.6%), and Asians – Chinese, Koreans, Indians, and Japanese – collectively marking a +119% increase. Overall, the expectation is for 78 to 82 million foreign customers (compared to 75 million last year).
In terms of international tourism-related revenue, 2023 is expected to surpass the €58 billion from 2022, with forecasts ranging between €64 and €67 billion.
Not giving up on holidays, but behaviors are changing
In commenting on these data, Olivia Grégoire emphasized the ongoing changes in tourist behaviors, increasingly influenced by unstable and sometimes extreme weather, cost of living, and inflation. Faced with these variables, consumers are adapting: they are more inclined to book last minute and do not hesitate to change their destination based on the weather; they travel more often but for shorter stays (average of 8 days, no longer 9 as in the past), and mostly closer to home; to save on vacation budgets, they dine out less and choose camping, a more economically accessible accommodation option (which indeed has seen a +2% increase this year).
Campsites: a mixed season in line with the past
Waiting to see the promising prospects confirmed for the late season, which shows a 26% increase in bookings for September, it’s impossible not to acknowledge that the French camping season has been positive so far, though not mind blowing. The attendance during the 2023 season, from April to September, should be slightly higher compared to 2022, thanks to the return of European tourists, especially the Dutch, Germans, Belgians, and British, as explained by Nicolas Dayot, President of the Fédération nationale de l’hôtellerie de plein air (FNHPA), who was invited to provide an overview by L’Echo Touristique.
French attendance, on the other hand, has decreased by 2%, even though camping remains the third preferred lodging option. This is revealed by a survey conducted by OpinionWay for Atout France, which states that camping is chosen by 16% of French people who go on vacation, seasonal rentals by 24%, tied with staying with friends and relatives (also 24%). Behind them is hotels, chosen by 14% of respondents.
Cost-saving considerations have also influenced accommodation choices within campsites, where pitches have been preferred over mobile homes due to being less expensive.
Higher prices, challenging season
According to FNHPA, camping prices have increased by 5/6% in 2023 compared to 2022. Taking a look from the north to the south of the country, all campsites have faced a challenging season. At the beginning of the year, bookings surged especially in the northern part of the country (with Brittany, Normandy, and the Loire Valley leading the way), but unstable weather between June and July (remember the Patricia storm that hit Brittany) tempered expectations. Nevertheless, the season here remains positively marked by the return of European tourists,especially the highly anticipated British, as well as the more regular Germans, Dutch, and Belgians.
Even campsites in the southern part of the country struggled to fill up, especially in July, where the decrease in attendance ranged from 10% to 20% depending on the areas. While Corsica mainly suffered from increased ferry transportation costs, other regions in the south suffered from intense heatwaves, fire risks, and a general price increase that reduced vacation budgets. Of the 33% of French people who gave up their holidays this year, 40% did so for economic reasons, said ADN Tourisme president François de Canson.
