Tourism badly down in 2016

[NormanH]

Of course it isn't over yet but this report in Le Figaro isn't very encouraging

http://www.lefigaro.fr/conjoncture/2016/08/19/20002-20160819ARTFIG00198-les-etrangers-de-moins-en-moins-enclins-a-visiter-la-france.php

[Kong]

True. But are you surprised?

[Chancer]

In the first 14 days of August I had 13 cancellations totalling IIRC 23 nights, all of them in August (I have not released availability yet for September) and from memory during that period I recieved only 6 nights of bookings [:(]

 

Some of the cancelled nights have been retaken but at a much reduced price, in June and July any cancellations, for there are always several, were immediately snapped up at full price, often by a bigger family paying more.

 

I was fully booked for August some 6 weeks before, it would have been the best month of the summer, its now likely to be the worst, cant complain though as the year to date has been outstanding, I have learned and will have to change my cancellation policy for next year.

 

Only 12 more days and I will again be a (relatively) free man!

[Harnser]

You need to start a part exchange scheme.

You part with your room bookings in exchange for their bank/credit card numbers.

No show ? -No problem.

An example from a biker's motel i used to stop at in Flanders.

Cancellation fees.

1 week or longer before arrival : € 10,00 pp/pn

till 1 day before arrival : € 25,00 pp/pn

on day of arrival : € 40,00 pp/pn

no show : € 50,00 pp/pn

On a room rate of €80 pp/pn

[EuroTrash]

Well you can't argue with the newspapers but I'm on holiday at the moment, touring in my camping car, and there seem to be no shortage of Dutch, Italians, Spanish, Germans etc all over the place (Sarthe, Morbihan, Vendée, Charante Maritime etc). Tourist attractions were heaving last week when the sun was out, motorhome aires are overflowing and several campsites have been full and turning people away. I have seen noticeably fewer GB motorhomes than usual but I've heard plenty of Brit voices at markets so they must be staying somewhere.

[AnOther]

Definitely quieter around here in this area, cafe's which are normally full in the evenings are half empty.

I so hope the Brexiteers are experiencing the pain their stupid short sightedness had brought on them, the country, and everybody.

[Gluestick]

[quote user="AnOther"]Definitely quieter around here in this area, cafe's which are normally full in the evenings are half empty.

I so hope the Brexiteers are experiencing the pain their stupid short sightedness had brought on them, the country, and everybody.

[/quote]

What a strange and perverse comment un autre.

Tourism is down due to the incipient threat of terrorist action; plus the problems of travelling via Eurotunnel and Dover, mainly (Ferries).

For example:

Surely, the alleged myopia of the Brexiteers, is not solely a British thing; more it has been caused by numerous factors which must include the sheer intransigence of such egotistical clowns as M. le President Wobbly Jelly, mad Mutti Merkel et al. It is not some instant hissy fit, but a silent majority rebellion against the unaccountable undemocratic nature and substance of the EU gods in their ivory towers.

Despite the slight (in relative terms) exchange rate droop in favour of the USD and the Euro, French vacations, holistically, will still be cheaper than English seaside hotels: did European tourism die utterly when the Pound-Euro were near parity?

[lindal1000]

Bl*ody packed round here..be glad when they all go home. Seriously, the gîtes we look after have been fully booked since end of June. Restaurants are struggling though, because every village has a marché gourmand once a week during July and August, so the tourists never need to use a restaurant. We went to one last night and it was very busy although not just with tourists. Maybe other areas are quieter. Fortunately not all the tourists are British..seem to be a lot of Americans this year. We had.a lovely conversation with a retired French couple last night. Very keen to talk about Brexit and how disappointed they were with the Uk , who when they couldn't get their own way resorted to throwing their toys out of the pram and storming off. They felt that the image of Britain had taken a severe hammering because of it.

[alittlebitfrench]

Tours was empty this year apart from the Loire à velo.

Bliss.

We sat on the beach of the Loire with no one around. Crystal clear water for the kids to swim in and a sandy beach to play in. Who needs the Med ?

Always been my my point. Why do expats move to tourist locations (like the Dordogne) then complain about tourists ? At the end of September everyone is going to complain that their little bit of France is dead in the winter. Well Tours and other such places won't be.

[NormanH]

I went to Tours once and it was closed...