INTERVIEW
The coronavirus weighs on the holidays of the French. Even before Emmanuel Macron's announcements on Monday, Airbnb was able to observe a phenomenon of "waiting for reservations for the period June-July-August", indicates to the microphone of Europe 1 Emmanuel Marill, the director general of platform in France. "It is still at a standstill and people are waiting to know more, to have more confidence to project themselves."
>> LIVE - Coronavirus: follow the evolution of the situation
"People are waiting to know more"
A phenomenon at least as unprecedented as the Covid-19 crisis which made Emmanuel Marill say that the habits of the French will change for the summer period to come. "I am quite convinced that tourism in the coming months will be more than domestic, it will be local. People will leave 100-150 kilometers from their homes, in regions they know to find friends, moments of camaraderie that we've been losing for a month. "
CORONAVIRUS ESSENTIALS
> How long are healthy carriers contagious?
> What are the side effects of chloroquine?
> Adulterated tests, false calls for donations ...: watch out for scams linked to the coronavirus
> Reading, board games ... How to stimulate your brain during confinement?
> How to avoid gaining pounds during confinement?
A "practically sluggish" activity since confinement
But you don't have to take a few months to see the impact of coronavirus on the holidays. After the spring break, the hope of being able to take advantage of the May bridges has also gone. "We saw today [Easter Monday, editor's note] a practically sluggish activity. We speak almost exclusively of long stays, which are moreover generally the result of stays for work" he indicates, before specifying : "Most of the nights we are seeing at the moment in France are nights reserved as part of 'Appart solidaire'."
"Appart solidaire", the cornerstone against Airbnb's coronavirus
Built in partnership with the Ministry in charge of the City, the "Appart Solidaire" platform has been gathering "for the past three weeks 8,000 dwellings" offered free of charge. "Airbnb compensates each stay up to 50 euros, which represents more or less the cleaning costs. So we are really on pure generosity, nobody is going to earn money in this program", specifies Emmanuel Marill. "More than 1,500 people have been or are being housed among caregivers, workers in the Ephad, and that represents several tens of thousands of nights."