Gîtes basking in a bumper summer

Gîte owners across France are enjoying a bumper summer, according to official figures.

Reservations in the 60,000 Gîtes de France-approved accommodations are up 2.3% this summer compared to last year - with Brittany and Corsica proving the most popular regional destinations. Finistère is the most popular department, followed by Corsica, Côtes-d'Armor, Haute-Savoie and Morbihan.

Occupancy rates have already reached 66% for July and are expected to hit 70% in August, Gîtes de France said in a statement, adding that revenue was up 6% to €157.8million year-on-year.

Guests are staying longer, too, the organisation said, with stays at gîtes now averaging 7.5 days, while visitors to B&Bs are averaging nearly two days per stay.

The average price of a week-long stay in a gite this summer is €417.70, while a one-night stay at a B&B for two people including breakfast averages €92.13.

The good tourism news comes as Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said that visitor numbers in France could reach 89million this year, an increase of between 5% and 6% on 2016's figures - which were affected by the terrorist attacks in November 2015 and July 2016.

He said that the country was still determined to hit its ambitious target of welcoming 100million visitors in 2020.