Coronavirus in France: travel agencies still struggling

Text by: RFI Follow

In France, the summer holidays are approaching but the Covid-19 has changed habits and desires. And travel agencies are still struggling. After more than two months of inactivity, sales recorded at the beginning of June oscillate between 10 and 30% of usual reservations.

Publicity

In physical agencies, bookings reached 10 to 15% of activity for the same period last year. On the internet, the recovery is a little brighter with 25 to 30%. However, the French intend to go on vacation this summer ... They are even more likely to want to escape than in 2018 according to a BVA survey which reveals that 59% of respondents think they are leaving.

But, and this is not necessarily good news for travel agencies, they are much more likely to want to stay in France, 87% against 66% in normal times. And above all, more than half of future travelers have not yet booked anything, while last year at the same time 60% of French people had already prepared their holidays.

In total, the Association of Travel Companies expects an operating loss of between 600 million and one billion euros this year for travel agencies and tour operators. A rut that some companies will undoubtedly have trouble overcoming, explains the president of the association Jean-Pierre Mas, even if in the long term, he remains confident.

For the immediate future, one of its major concerns is the maintenance of a quarantine of seven days in the overseas departments. Hardly compatible with a tourist stay.

Our selection on the coronavirus

• Listen to our Coronavirus Info column 

• Our  explanations  :
→  What we know about the mode of contagion
→  Disparities and inequalities in the face of the coronavirus
→  Triple therapy, Discovery… update on research
→  Remdesivir, antibodies and immunity
→  The race for the vaccine is in full swing
→  How to make a mask and use it well

• Our series  :
→ “  The response, country by country  ”
→ “  Nurses  ' words ”

• After Covid-19, towards a new world?

• See also the files of RFI Savoirs on the Covid-19:
→  Birth of a pandemic
→  Everyday life put to the test
→  The history of epidemics
→  Science facing the Covid-19
→  The geopolitical consequences

Newsletter Receive all international news directly in your mailbox

Follow all international news by downloading the RFI application

• France
• Coronavirus
• Tourism

On the same subject

Kenya embarks on virtual safaris to support tourism

United Kingdom: travelers arriving from abroad now subject to a fortnight

Madagascar: "national tourism" to compensate for the lack of foreign visitors?