INTERVIEW
You have to book ... and quickly. The day after government announcements on phase 2 of the deconfinement, the Secretary of State in charge of tourism Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne urged, this Friday morning on Europe 1, the French to make reservations on the territory for the summer holidays. If the Director General of Tourism of the New Aquitaine region, Michel Durrieu, agrees with this speech, he would like to point out that we must also hurry because "we will undoubtedly have an increase in prices".
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A "generalized" price increase
"I say it sincerely, we must book now" insists Michel Durrieu, at the microphone "Big evening newspaper" this Friday. "Firstly because it is a need for professionals in the sector who have not been in business for several months, and then because prices are going to rise in a generalized way." A price increase due to the many health measures that the tourism sector must respect to avoid a restart of the coronavirus epidemic. This mechanically reduces the reception capacity of establishments.
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Less capacity, more costs
But the law of supply and demand on the evolution of prices is not the only reason which will drive up the holiday bill for the French. "Professionals will also have to assume higher health and operational costs" points out the director general. So there will be no "last minute aggressive offers" to believe this year, especially since they would not be "good for the sector, the players needing to replenish their cash. Not to mention that the season has been shortened. "
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A holiday voucher for modest families
While the health crisis is turning into an economic and social crisis, what about the difficulty of certain modest families going on vacation? Michel Durrieu has already thought about it and indicates that "the New Aquitaine region is going to set up a holiday voucher", without specifying the amount or the terms of distribution. An initiative taken with the help of the State which he wishes to see spread across the whole territory: "It will be necessary that the State, the regions, the departments work to help families who have less means to be able to go on vacation. "