Maximilien Carlier (in Bray-Dunes), edited by Gauthier Delomez 06:06, August 16, 2022
Campsites, hotels and restaurants are full this summer in the north of France, and in particular on the coast.
But the most surprising thing is that the main tourists in the region come from Hauts-de-France.
About one out of two tourists comes from the North.
Europe 1 went to meet these vacationers.
Magali and Benoit enjoy an ice cream, sitting on a bench facing the sea. This couple is from Valenciennes in the North.
Usually, they spend holidays in the mountains but this summer, they are heading to the coast, an hour and a half drive from their home, for economic reasons.
"Given the price of diesel, we prefer to stay in the region. For a week's rental of a pitch in a tent, we spend 138 euros. Last year, when we went to Lake Geneva, it was triple, 300-400 euros approximately", detail the holidaymakers at the microphone of Europe 1.
Vacations at a lower cost, they insist.
In addition, there are no tolls here and you breathe in the north compared to the south of France, with lower temperatures.
Nearly one out of two tourists in the north of France is from... the north, like in Bray-Dunes.
Credits: Maximilien Carlier/Europe 1
About 46% of tourist attendance
Like them, many tourists who come to fill the campsites, hotels and restaurants in the north of France and in particular on the coast come from the Hauts-de-France region.
These local tourists represent 46% of tourist attendance according to the Regional Tourism Committee of the region (before the health crisis, it was between 30 and 35%).
This means that approximately one out of two tourists is from the north.
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Others have chosen to stay in Hauts-de-France to rediscover the region, as Grégory explains on Europe 1. "We are more Normandy or Brittany but this year, it's the coast. We are We went to the Agincourt memorial. In fact, we do everything that has to do with the Second World War. We visit the heritage of the region", explains the holidaymaker.
Vacationers who are no longer content to make a round trip
Northerners who stay in Hauts-de-France: a trend confirmed by Thomas, an ice cream seller in Bray-Dunes.
“Previously, it was more people who came during the day for a round trip. But this year, we have more holidaymakers who take rentals in hotels or campsites. They come from Lens, Lille, Valenciennes, d 'one everywhere in the Hauts-de-France,' says the seller.
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There are also a lot of foreigners too, Belgians, Dutch, English, who are back after Covid-19.
More surprisingly, underlines this seasonal worker, "we saw, this summer, many tourists from Bordeaux or Cannes".