Tourism: after the Covid, reservations reach records but the sector is struggling to recruit

Nina Droff and Charles Guyard 6:14 a.m., April 19, 2022

REPORT

After two years marked by the Covid-19 pandemic, the tourism sector is picking up everywhere in France.

Business is picking up again in restaurants and hotels.

It is beginning to reach pre-crisis levels.

But the problems remain in this sector, which is struggling to recruit. 

Two or three hours of waiting to go to the restaurant

In a small establishment in Pornic, in Loire-Atlantique, located just opposite the port, last-minute reservations are impossible.

"We are fully booked for the next three weeks," said the receptionist.

At the Hotel Beausoleil, all the rooms have even been taken for a while.

A big change from the previous two years, marked by health restrictions.

"It had been a good month since it was full for the weekend, but we refused many, many people. The April holidays, it had been three years since we had done it", explains the boss of the hotel at the microphone of Europe 1.

A few kilometers further on, at the Rocher des Marais reception desk, the hotel manager is thrilled.

"Compared to last year, we have doubled our turnover," he rejoices on Europe 1. "For example, next Saturday is already full. I could have filled two or three hotels ".

And on the customer side, this high influx is also felt when choosing a restaurant.

Brigitte noticed it.

Better to arrive early at the table.

"Otherwise, there may be a two or three hour wait. It's impressive and it's very nice to see everyone," she says.

>> Find Europe Matin in replay and podcast here

"It's hard to recruit"

An enthusiasm that launches a very promising summer season.

Now remains to manage a final concern.

"It's hard to recruit. Me, I'm missing a person," laments the manager of the Rocher des Marais.

In hotels and restaurants, if the customers have indeed returned in number, it is the staff who are now eagerly awaited. 

Restaurant owners and hoteliers in Paris are facing the same difficulties.

In the Mollard brasserie, the staff are busy in the kitchen and in the dining room to serve all customers as quickly as possible.

A service that does not have time to breathe because a few pairs of arms are still missing as the tourist season approaches. 

The stress of seeing the activity increase 

"I am recruiting a pastry chef, I will need two additional heads of rows, and a few extras to compensate for the occasional activities of the week", explains Stéphane Salchow, the manager, at the microphone of Europe 1. These positions are actively sought by many restaurants.

But since the health crisis, applications are becoming increasingly rare.

>> READ ALSO-

 Catering: why increasing wages is not enough to attract staff

"I made announcements. I'm lucky because I found cooks, but for the room it's much more laborious. There is the stress of seeing the activity increase but also of seeing the number of team members stagnating or increasing with great difficulty", he confides.

A lack that the boss tries to fill by guaranteeing good working conditions.

Everything is done to attract applicants.

But, according to the latest figures from the Union of Catering Trades, there are still 360,000 unfilled jobs in catering for this summer.