Tourist numbers up but spending drops
French resorts see welcome rise in visitors – but restaurants report fall in business as many opt to ‘eat in’
DESPITE an unexpected rise in the numbers of people heading for French resorts this summer, visitors spent less in hotels and restaurants as they opted to ‘eat in’ or with friends.
It is a change of habit for holidaymakers who spent between 5% and 15% less in resort restaurants.
The number of people heading on holiday during August has been falling for the past three years and, after a poor spring and early summer, businesses saw a welcome rise with more foreigners heading for the Channel coast, Normandy and Brittany where business was up between 5-10%.
However, in the Dordogne, tourist numbers fell 30% and Aquitaine and Languedoc-Roussillon regions noted a 10% fall in sales for hotel and campsite places.
Hotel trade specialists MKG Hospitality said that Paris hoteliers had seen a 7.8% rise in visitors compared with 2012 – with an occupancy rate of 79% - but in the rest of the country there were plenty free beds, where occupancy was just 69%.
That meant plenty of last-minute bargains in both hotels and restaurants as they launched cut-price promotions to get visitors through their doors.
Photo: Eoghan OLionnain
