Guest of Europe 1, Monday, the marketing director of the travel comparator, Liligo, explained how the volume of searches fluctuates according to the announcements of restrictions or relaxations.
Also, according to him, "a strong rebound" in tourism is expected as soon as the health crisis is mitigated.
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"The desire and the will, even the need and almost the urgency to travel is becoming more and more palpable," says Guillaume Rostand, marketing director of the travel comparator Liligo.
Guest from Europe 1, Monday, he explained that the search for stays increased and decreased successively according to the announcements of confinement and deconfinement.
A "yoyo effect" which has lasted for a year and which, according to him, announces "a strong rebound in tourism when the health crisis is attenuated".
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Uncertainties and last minute reservations
"What we observe is that every time there is a relaxation of conditions and restrictions, there is a peak in demand. And as soon as there are announcements and new restrictions , research tends to fall back, "explains Guillaume Rostand, who now notes a volume of reservations of the same order as during the first confinement, in March 2020, due to" the uncertainty "linked to the crisis.
On several occasions, during the first deconfinement but also when the restrictive measures have been relaxed, the marketing director of Liligo mentions an increase in last minute bookings.
“It was quite noticeable last summer or after May,” he says.
"Tourists have started looking again and we have observed a reconciliation of reservation dates with departure dates," he continues, referring to reservations the same month of departure in 60% of cases.
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Craze for "safest destinations"
A year later, and while France is once again confined, it is difficult to project.
"We did not expect to stay a year in this wait-and-see situation and anxiety," says Guillaume Rostand.
"I think there will be a significant rebound once the health crisis is alleviated," he continues.
For the time being, three months before the summer vacation, Liligo observes, in the research carried out, a craze concentrated around the "safest destinations", that is to say domestic, or very close.
Among them, Corsica, North Africa, Malta, Portugal, but also the overseas departments and regions.
“There is a disappearance of long-haul searches, with the notable exception of Dubai which remains a key destination,” he says.
"Everything that is distant islands, South America or Asia has permanently disappeared from our top research."