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What did I just read ?

https://news.sky.com/story/covid-19-top-holiday-destinations-revealed-as-easing-of-uk-travel-restrictions-sparks-bookings-surge-12510936

 

France is the 3rd top destination for peeps booking holidays this year ?

You are ***** ***** ****** joking me.

AFTER THE WAY MACRON AND HIS GOVERNEMENT HAVE TREATED/STILL TREATING THE BRITISH !

You are joking me.

60 million Britis can't go from the UK to France without a valid reason at the moment.

447 million peeps in the EU can. Just saw a Spanish and a German car down at our local Lidl.

 

I mean seriously Brits, boycot France. Don't let Macron get away with it.

There is nothing to see anyway. Well unless you go to the Dordogne...where you will see other Brits. Save your cash and go to Milton Keynes. Same thing.

 

?

 

Edited by alittlebitfrench
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Why?

Micron is simply rattling his sabre, trying to demonstrate to the French voters what a patriot he is.

Plus continuing the EU hatred of Britain for daring to leave their incestuous, corrupt and wholly dysfunctional political club. The continuing dissent over fishing licenses and the Northern Irish "Border", ought to have been sorted out as part of the separation agreement: however, Call Me Dave was and is a core remainer, as was Theresa May (Or may not, depending on how she felt at the time!). Instead of hard nosed negotiation with the odious Michel Barnier, they both sort of went on bended knee waving a white flag. Bozo the Clown was no different.

Pretty stupid, really, as the UK leads Europe in the number of people who have been vaccinated.

What morons like Macron forget, is the vast amount of money - and taxes - tourists contribute to popular vacation places.

This economic effect will soon be felt again as the Spring and Summer approaches.

 

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"the UK leads Europe in the number of people who have been vaccinated"

12/39 according to Euronews - they give stats for the whole continent. https://www.euronews.com/2021/11/17/covid-19-vaccinations-in-europe-which-countries-are-leading-the-way

12/28 according to Politico's Live data tracker - just EU+UK. https://www.politico.eu/article/coronavirus-vaccination-europe-live-data-tracker-coverage/

1/the planet, the universe, ... (source UK Gov).

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The point of the thread really was....

 

Why would any self respecting British person living the UK ever consider booking a holiday to France given the way that France (Mr Macron) has treated the British since Brexit ?

Especially recently, when he has banned you all horrible Brits from entering 'his' country unless you beg him and his guard dogs at Dover into having a very good reason. . 

Does not matter if you voted Brexit or not. To him you are pawns in his game. 

I would not...I really would not go on holiday to France this year. Well, unless he gets kicked out in May. 

Then you should be OK.

And I am still struggling after 23 years to understand what France has to offer as a holiday anyway.

 

 

 

 

Edited by alittlebitfrench
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4 hours ago, alittlebitfrench said:

And I am still struggling after 23 years to understand what France has to offer as a holiday anyway.

Holiday makers tend to go to the South: for the weather, beaches and general ambience.

More generally, la France Profonde, still offers wonderful food and wine; superb countryside; excellent roads; and a far nicer ambience than the UK. For myself, one of the attractions of La Belle France, thanks to its size (bear in mind that the land mass of Metropolitan France is circa four times that of England: and the populations very similar.

The variation of climate in France is quite amazing; it is rather like a number of different countries! The life style and culture also varies enormously, from region to region.

When we first purchased our second home in the Pas de Calais, it was eerily like going back to the 1950s, for me. Little traffic on the roads; far less atmospheric pollution, mainly thanks to more space and less people per sq Km and being near la Manche.

Ooddles of places to stay, from chambre d'hotes to auberges etc.

Or, I suppose one could stay in Blackpool...

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7 hours ago, alittlebitfrench said:

The point of the thread really was....

 

Why would any self respecting British person living the UK ever consider booking a holiday to France given the way that France (Mr Macron) has treated the British since Brexit ?

Especially recently, when he has banned you all horrible Brits from entering 'his' country unless you beg him and his guard dogs at Dover into having a very good reason. . 

Does not matter if you voted Brexit or not. To him you are pawns in his game. 

I would not...I really would not go on holiday to France this year. Well, unless he gets kicked out in May. 

Then you should be OK.

And I am still struggling after 23 years to understand what France has to offer as a holiday anyway.

 

 

 

 

Just occasionally ALBF, you talk sense.   Not on this occasion though - all the above is rowlocks.

People will, perfectly reasonably, go for their holidays where it suits them as a destination.  That means suitability, affordability and ‘ability-to-go-ability’.  Sorry about that last one, but you know what I mean - if there are no travel restrictions, then .....

 

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9 hours ago, Gardian said:

Just occasionally ALBF, you talk sense.   Not on this occasion though - all the above is rowlocks.

People will, perfectly reasonably, go for their holidays where it suits them as a destination.  That means suitability, affordability and ‘ability-to-go-ability’.  Sorry about that last one, but you know what I mean - if there are no travel restrictions, then .....

 

OK fair point.

Do you think that Macron and his government are discrminating against the British over this travel ban ?

I mean this is nothing to do with the virus. This is about politics and keeping the British out of France.

Remember 600,000 + French nationals living in the UK are free to travel back and forth to France. It is just the British ones they don't like.

How much shÏt should the British take before people start voting with their wallets ? Or is France 'worth' the discrimination ? 

Imagine having a party and everyone can come except the British. Is that not discrmination ? Racism ? 

Everyone can travel on this bus apart from the British. We have seen that before in history. 

You know what I mean !

Incidently, there was a report the other day on French TV about ski resorts. The British represent 40-60 % of clientle in some of the larger resorts. Those who run the resorts, hotels and everything else can't understand why they have people from all over Europe but not the British. They see it as punnishment for Brexit as well. Also, they were saying that French and other nationalities simply go to ski and don't really spend money in the resort. The British do. It is a financial disaster for them. Many will go out of business. 

I can't see many folks working in ski resorts voting Macron. 

Edited by alittlebitfrench
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1 hour ago, alittlebitfrench said:

OK fair point.

Do you think that Macron and his government are discrminating against the British over this travel ban ?

I mean this is nothing to do with the virus. This is about politics and keeping the British out of France.

Remember 600,000 + French nationals living in the UK are free to travel back and forth to France. It is just the British ones they don't like.

How much shÏt should the British take before people start voting with their wallets ? Or is France 'worth' the discrimination ? 

Imagine having a party and everyone can come except the British. Is that not discrmination ? Racism ? 

Everyone can travel on this bus apart from the British. We have seen that before in history. 

You know what I mean !

Incidently, there was a report the other day on French TV about ski resorts. The British represent 40-60 % of clientle in some of the larger resorts. Those who run the resorts, hotels and everything else can't understand why they have people from all over Europe but not the British. They see it as punnishment for Brexit as well. Also, they were saying that French and other nationalities simply go to ski and don't really spend money in the resort. The British do. It is a financial disaster for them. Many will go out of business. 

I can't see many folks working in ski resorts voting Macron. 

It's almost a schizophrenic situation regarding what's happening. Undoubtably Macron is doing his best to make Britain pay for Brexit but I doubt it is aimed at the British people, not in that personal way. It is political and the schizoid aspect comes into it in that it is the politicians playing their games whilst at the same time suggesting they are doing it for 'the people'!  The politicians are on another plane to the rest of us but unfortunately we are the subject of their grandiose schemes. As you have said, the French are also suffering because of Macrons behaviour but it is for their 'benefit!! 

I can't help but feel that Macrons time is running out. The rest of the E.U are not wholly supportive of France because of his behaviour and the French themselves can feel the 'pinch' regarding British spending power. The major problem is the coming election and the tactical voting that goes on. It could well see him elected again. If he is elected I foresee much more civil unrest here, if there is something the French do well (and they do many things well) it is street riots!!!

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Looking at the economic metrics now being revealed, the impact of Brexit upon manufacturing/exporting EU states is clearly enormous. Add the Covid-19 Pandemic plus supply chain problems and 2022 looks economically dire for the EU.

It is an undeniable fact, that there was a large imbalance in favour of the EU, of trade with the UK.

Plus, of course, the absence of the UK paying a most punitive annual membership fee, when considered relative to population and etc.

Numerous politicians have been quite honest, in admitting that they made leaving the EU as difficult and expensive as possible for Britain and would continue to try and penalise the UK: these include Michel Barnier, Guy Verhofstadt (Odious creep!) and others; including Macron.

Tourism is a HUGE business in France, Spain, Portugal, Greece etc.

Perhaps the voters will wake up as their income vanishes...

 

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1 hour ago, Noisette said:

Are you perhaps exaggerating the importance of the British tourist to France's economy?  Granted, it is a big slice, but not the only one. Best remember also that domestic tourism still accounts for a huge chunk.   https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tourisme_en_France#:~:text=Une enquête publiée en juillet,la Suisse puis l'Espagne.

 * France would be bankrupt without foreign tourism. France would be on it's knees. 

I remember reading somewhere that tourism (directly and indirectly) is the biggest employer in île de France.

In terms of domestic tourism, the French don't spend money. So that ain't working for small businesses. 

So yeah, France needs British tourism. Ask any French touristic business, they want the Brits and the Americans. They spend money. 

* And this makes me laugh in terms of the Paris agreement. Tourism is a killer for the environment and climate change. Think about that for a moment when you are pottering around in your garden and mowing your lawn in January. ?

Edited by alittlebitfrench
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You're still not getting the point, despite the link.  Foreign tourism isn't just about Brits.  Granted, the Dutch probably aren't the highest-spending europeans to flock into France every year but neither, I suspect,  were the Brits.  I do know quite a few French directly involved in the tourist industry and they'd much rather have Belgian and German customers as they're more profitable.  Not as profitable as Parisiens, though ?

What on earth has my garden got to do with anything? As for mowing in January, nope.....downhill slalom possibly, aquaslide  definitely, but not mowing ?

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Not only do visitors to France represent tourism, Noisette. but since they are not residents and fiscally resident, more importantly, the hordes of British second home owners can be classed as visitors and thus tourists. Mrs Gluey and I are prime examples. I dread to consider quite how much we have spent - in France - during the past 25 years!

You should try espousing your views to my close friends and clients whose pan-European business has been destroyed by Brexit and the Pandemic. Not so many years ago their earnings (i.e. Net Tazable Profit: not Gross Revenue (Turnover), were in excess of £1,000,000 in one year alone...

In 2014 British tourists spent around five billion euros in France. Domestic tourism consumption more or less remained stable for the next two years. Source: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1121911/expenses-visitors-british-tourism-france/
...
Characteristic Spending in billions of euros
2017 5.77
2016 4.72
2015 4.51
2014 4.72
Edited by Gluestick
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On 08/01/2022 at 18:37, Gluestick said:

More generally, la France Profonde, still offers wonderful food and wine; superb countryside; excellent roads; and a far nicer ambience than the UK. For myself, one of the attractions of La Belle France, thanks to its size (bear in mind that the land mass of Metropolitan France is circa four times that of England: and the populations very similar.

Exactly why we bought a second home in the depths of rural France 21 years ago and we have enjoyed it immensely. Regardless of the rights and wrongs of M. Macron’s approach to keeping France save we would like to visit our home as soon as the restrictions are reduced.

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I do hope you are able to get over here soon, HD.

@ Gluestick...I appreciate the points you make, although the statistics in the link I posted are a little more up-to-date ?.  But Brits aren't the only second-home owners to buy in France, either.  Perhaps it's just this region, but the Dutch and Belgian part-timer presence is very high.  I'm sure we're agreed that where there are holiday-home owners, there'll be family and friends visiting...all grist to the mill.

Back to M Le Président....perhaps he's badly advised or simply doesn't realise  how important the Brit input is/was?  I wouldn't be surprised, because expecting someone in his position to be even remotely 'in touch' with the realities in France outside of Paris is laughable.  Perhaps he considers the sabre-rattling and posturing for the benefit of Brussels to be more worthwhile  (for him at least) than placating the potential bearers of  Brit expenditure?

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21 minutes ago, Noisette said:

I do hope you are able to get over here soon, HD.

@ Gluestick...I appreciate the points you make, although the statistics in the link I posted are a little more up-to-date ?.  But Brits aren't the only second-home owners to buy in France, either.  Perhaps it's just this region, but the Dutch and Belgian part-timer presence is very high.  I'm sure we're agreed that where there are holiday-home owners, there'll be family and friends visiting...all grist to the mill.

Back to M Le Président....perhaps he's badly advised or simply doesn't realise  how important the Brit input is/was?  I wouldn't be surprised, because expecting someone in his position to be even remotely 'in touch' with the realities in France outside of Paris is laughable.  Perhaps he considers the sabre-rattling and posturing for the benefit of Brussels to be more worthwhile  (for him at least) than placating the potential bearers of  Brit expenditure?

"British buyers continue to dominate the list of international owners of French property, accounting for around one third of all foreign owned second homes in France, according to a recent French Government study. The study showed that there were 2.9 million second homes in France, around 10% of the total housing stock." I know a few Dutch second home owners and they bring everything with them and hardly shop in France at all.

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Interesting...

Inflation across the Eurozone hit a record in December.

https://tradingeconomics.com/euro-area/inflation-cpi

IMHO, all politicians suffer from what i call Golden Goose Syndrome: they believe they can simply blithely carry on with their idiot policies, increase taxes and the hard pressed taxpayer will harvest another golden egg!

Macron's obvious attitude reference Britain and tourism, is an excellent exemplar.

 

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