INTERVIEW
Faced with the uncertainties linked to the coronavirus epidemic, the French are likely to favor France for their holidays. But how many will go on vacation? Will some foreigners still spend their leave in France? Guest Friday morning of Europe 1, Didier Arino, the director general of Protourisme, a firm specializing in studies and advice in the tourism sectors, gives us some figures to understand what to expect for this summer.
10% of French people will go abroad
"The French will stay in France for 90%, only 10% of our citizens say they want to go abroad this summer," says Didier Arino, the director general of Protourisme, a firm specializing in studies and advice in tourism sectors, guest on Friday morning at Europe 1.
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A 75% drop in bookings from foreign customers
"All European countries seek to keep their tourists at home, which penalizes the destination France, even if it is less dependent on foreign tourists than Italy or Spain", continues this expert. The desire of the French to spend the majority of the summer in the country should therefore help to slow down this shortfall.
"It is necessary to have national solidarity, because we are currently experiencing a 75% drop in bookings from foreign customers", European customers alone representing a quarter of the reservations usually recorded, according to Didier Arino.
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6 million French people plan to give up their holidays
However, the looming economic crisis and soaring unemployment have prompted many French people to leave their holidays behind. "At the height of the crisis, 6 million French people said they wanted to give up their vacation this summer, including 4 million permanently," points out our specialist. The sector is nevertheless hoping for last-minute bookings, with short stays, to tweak these forecasts.
"The various incidents abroad show that we must take advantage of this year to discover France. There is availability everywhere, from the Côte d'Azur to Brittany, from the Basque Country to Occitania, the Vosges, Vendée, etc. ", still insists the patron of Protourisme.