In Canet-en-Roussillon (Pyrenees-Orientales),
The blue of the Mediterranean stretches as far as the eye can see, with the Pyrenees as a backdrop to sublimate everything. Add a proud 24°C to the thermometer and roasted sand under an azure sky, it doesn’t take much more to be happy. At Chill’Out Beachone of the beach clubs in Canet-en-Roussillon (Pyrénées-Orientales), we don’t want to quibble – not really the philosophy of the bar -, but there is still something missing in this equation of happiness: customers .
The club rings very hollow this afternoon, and the rows of empty deckchairs and deserted tables conjure up images more of lockdown or a sunny zombie apocalypse than August. For the defense of the absent, the Tramontana, the local wind, rumbles in gusts at 80 km/h, makes the shutters slam, the trees tremble and throws sand at your face every five seconds. The only family present, courageously lying on the deckchairs, ends up packing up after yet another gust of wind.
“- 80% of customers compared to last May”
Bad weather for tourism with such grumpy weather. “We are at – 80% of customers compared to last May”, laments Stéphane, the manager. However, this month of May held great promise. Three holiday Mondays, plus this Ascension Thursday, with a four-day bridge. But by the sea, there is an immutable rule: when the weather is not there, the tourist is not either. This is particularly true in May, “when customers book less in advance and wait to see what the weather will be like to come – or not”, re-emphasizes Jason, restaurateur at ginger, on the seafront. Clearly, the “no” wins out at the start of the season: “The standard value is Sunday lunchtime. Only about thirty covers last week, against a hundred on the usual Sundays in May. »
It’s the whole site that sounds unusually deserted, and the seaside resort has the air of a bad western with its appearance of a ghost town. “The nearby glaciers haven’t even opened, it would cost too much and it’s too cold with the wind for people to eat,” Jason notes. Same for the kids beach club. We are protected from the wind and the sand, but who will come there with this weather? “. It is even possible to park in front of the beach, an operation normally impossible between May and September given the lot of cars. “It’s a catastrophic start to the season”, grinds Stéphane, manager ofO Barefoot. Same first name as the other club, and same vision: empty tables, a deserted beach.
A scent of disappointment
However, May is not insignificant here. Count about 15% of annual revenue in Chill’Out Beach, against 20% in June and 30% for each of the two hits in July and August, the rest being picked up in September. At gingerr, we even rose to 21% of the figure for 2022 in May, thanks to the weather. “In May, it’s less families than couples or groups of friends. So they consume more. There are also fewer establishments open, so we attract more crowds, ”analyzes the restaurateur.
Figures which corroborate those of the tourist sector of the Pyrénées-Orientales, confirms Brice Sannac, president of the Union of trades and industries of the hotel industry of the department: “May represents approximately 15% of the annual turnover of the sector. As for hotels and campsites, booked a little in advance, the results are “pretty good, even if we don’t jump to the ceiling”. With such a favorable calendar, the overall figures – similar to those of last year – have a flavor of disappointment. The weather ruins what could have been the year of all records.
The southern coast victim of the weather
And this Ascension weekend which is starting is not likely to change much. On this long bridge, it will float on Saturday and Sunday, when it has not rained two consecutive days in the area for at least a year, historic drought obliges. Sunday rain is also announced on the entire southern coast, from Biarritz to Nice via Marseille. “The campsites will apparently be full, tries to put Jason into perspective. But if it’s ugly, people don’t budge. »
On the seafront, we finally meet a tourist who has dared to set foot outside – we have to fill the fridge in the bungalow. “We knew that in January-February, it was too good this full sun, and that there would be a socket this year. But there, all the same…”, regrets Julie, who came from Paris. The beach, the blue sky, the snow-capped Canigou, it’s always slamming, even in the wind that is close to 100 per hour. But don’t push either: “I haven’t made any coffee outside and you don’t set foot on the beach. »
A good season in perspective all the same
Stephane version Chill’Out Beach, he never drops his sunglasses or his optimism: May does not bode well for the coming months. “If the weather was very nice and we had nobody, we would worry about July-August. But there, with this wind, it’s simple logic. It is out of the question to see in this desertion the consequences of inflation, historic drought or a change in attitude among tourists. The manager admits it all the same: “If the situation does not improve in June, it will be necessary to make a point with the waiters. »
If Jason notes a small change in spending among the few customers – “they take either the starter or the dessert, but rarely both”. Nothing to panic either for the high season: “Even if there were fewer people, there will always be more tourists in summer than places open in Canet. We will therefore display full”. Ditto with Jean Serré, president of Canet-Tourisme: “The figures are lower than last year for this month of May. But in terms of reservations and forecasts for July-August, we are on the rise. It is the most important “. In Canet, the sky is clear. All that’s left to do is chase that damn wind away.