“To the reservations citizens !”. Guest of the morning by Europe 1 Friday, may 29, Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne, secretary of State in charge of Tourism, urged the French to give priority to stays “blue white red” for their summer holidays, in order to support the professionals of the sector, hard hit by the crisis related to the epidemic of Covid-19. A call repeated several times by the members of the government at the end of the month of April, which seems to have been heard by the French. With the approach of the lifting of the containment, platforms, rentals have seen a boom in searches and bookings in France, especially for the weekends of Ascension and Pentecost, and, to a lesser extent, for the next three months.
Between April 15 and may 15, 21.2 million searches have been registered on Airbnb, of which 85% were for places to stay in France, announced in a press release the platform on which an increase in supply is observed. “We have seen numerous research that have materialized into bookings in the time that followed the speech of Edward Philippe”, who was the 14th of last may that “the French will be able to go on holiday to France in July and August,” confirms Timothy Roux, president of the national Union for the promotion of the vacation rental (UNPLV) and director-general of the platform of rentals between private individuals Abritel.
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accommodation located on the periphery of large cities have fired their pin of the game, taking advantage of the prohibition to travel more than 100 miles from his home, which was in force until 2 June. “Between 15 may and 10 June, we will post complete”, welcomes Jean-Maxime Carrier, owner of Lyon Country House, a castle located 15 minutes from Lyon city centre, which includes a cottage, a cabin in the woods and four suites. He acknowledges “not having ever experienced such a level of bookings”. The same finding at the Domaine de la Grange Saint-Martin, a guest house located in Fontaine-le-Port, Seine-et-Marne. “In the week that followed the Prime minister’s announcements, we have received hundreds of calls a day from Paris who wished to take the air, never seen before,” says Régine Salvan.
A been uncertain
Elsewhere, and for the next few weeks, the situation is much more nuanced. “We are still far from the month of June, normal,” emphasizes Susan Escure, director-general of the Gîtes de France, which suggests an average occupancy rate of the order of 30 to 40% of the 70,000 schools certified. “June promises to be very quiet, I am still missing 35 nights to reach the level of last year. Usually at this time, we are already full for the whole summer”, is cause for alarm and Bernadette Flat, the owner of the Room Host of the Partégal, in the Var. She feels, however, “lucky”, because the configuration of his house to provide his clients with a sanitary environment secure with a terrace and a garden large but also an own kitchen.
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“Even if the bookings are likely to accelerate in July, this will not offset the activity void of these last few months and the absence of foreign tourists,” says Susan Escure. If the group Pierre & Vacances has indicated to the AFP having registered between may 28 and June 2, “an increase in flow to 150% for Pierre & Vacances, and 180% for the areas of Center Parcs” and is looking forward to a “rise of the baskets means carried by a significant lengthening of the stays, and an increase in range”, the management is also concerned about “a delay on the level of bookings accumulated”. “Whatever we do, we won’t catch up to not the delay bound to the total cessation of bookings during the two months of confinement,” says Patrick Labrune, president of the Syndicat national des résidences de tourisme.
For the breakfast classic, without a space for catering private, the season could be catastrophic. In Brittany, the Manoir de Trégaray not, for example, has no confirmed demand for the month of June. “We only have 3, 4 rooms booked in July and August” laments the owner, who evokes calls of French “timid and anxious”, despite the hygiene measures strengthened in place. “Vacationers will lean more towards the lodgings which, according to them, is it possible to limit the risks and the contact with foreigners,” she analyzes.
The cottages and the houses of the privileged The Ardèche is one of the destinations preferred by the holidaymakers this year. Adobe Stock/Uolir
The apprehension of the French in the face of the persistence of the Covid-19 this summer leads to research massive houses, observe the platforms Airbnb and Abritel. “Holidaymakers are turning to self-catering accommodation with a garden, and if possible with a swimming pool,” says Timothy Roux, and to traditional destinations of holiday, as the coastal atlantic and mediterranean, but also increasingly towards the hinterland, the countryside and the mountain”. If Brittany, Occitania and the French Riviera are at the top of the preferences of the French regions usually less crowded as the Dordogne and the Ardeche are however favored, says the president of Gîtes de France.
To soothe the anxieties of the visitors and comply with the recommendations of the government, tourism stakeholders have established sanitary protocols rigorous : disinfection systematic and regular rooms, distribution of hydroalcoholic gel, mask-wearing during the client installation, compliance with social distancing in the common areas… A recurring question in the requests for reservations, note by the president of the UNPLV, which certifies that no increase in price, to compensate for the months lost and/or the purchase of equipment necessary to the security of housing, not is recognized.
Another concern for travelers : the conditions of cancellation and refund of their holiday. Again, the professionals play the card of the transparence. If since the lifting of the containment, the classic rules apply, in the case of a reconfinement generalized or outbreaks of contamination in certain regions, involving new restrictions on travelers, vacationers will be offered an immediate refund of their stay or to have him also be fully refunded if it is not used in 18 months.
The editorial team conseille20 ideas vitamin for a summer in FranceVacances summer 2020 : guide Figaro Trip to stay in FrancePartir holiday by the sea, our experiences in order to rediscover France this étéSujetsAirbnbvoyageTourisme3 commentairesdijonnaisle 03/06/2020 18:35
Can we use the pools? Otherwise, this is not worth it. The jenfants do virtually that this…
DROITEENDANGERle 03/06/2020 17:48
Your guest rooms offered are all very very expensive and we rather the “breakfast” not for us ..
nomnomnomle 03/06/2020 17:28
Booking in France, in any case. Booking abroad, yes. Only after the full opening of the borders, because the EU does not exist any more, currently.
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