Despite the arrival of summer, vacationers are still waiting in the campsites. Above all, it is the foreign tourists, coming from Germany, Belgium or the Netherlands who are missing. In front of their empty sites, the professionals of the sector worry about the lack of reservations. Report in Aix-en-Provence. 

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Summer temperatures have arrived a few days ago, but tourists are still waiting. In campsites, the start of the season is laborious. There are still people on the coast, but in the hinterland, in small villages, vacationers are scarce.

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"I don't have many calls"

"Tourists do not arrive. There are very few Germans and Dutch. I have not seen any retirees this year either. I think they are afraid," laments Yvan Mardero, manager of a campsite at the foot of Sainte-Victoire mountain. "I don't have a lot of calls, if only for information. Usually, at that time, we have requests for July and August. But for the moment, we have no visibility", he continues. In his campsite, the pitches are almost all empty. Even regulars are slow to book. Holidays are decided at the last minute, for short stays.

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"It's not yet the tourist crowd and it's very unusual," confirms Cécile Verger, owner of a campsite at the gates of Aix-en-Provence. "It is not the same atmosphere. We cannot do entertainment while respecting barrier gestures, suddenly some customers have postponed their stay to next year". 

At the Aix tourist agency, group visits have resumed, which is a pretty good sign. On the other hand, on the side of the lodgings and the hirings of individual houses, the reservations are with good fixed.