Cancel or not? The All Saints school holidays start this Friday for the three school zones, but the time is uncertain due to fuel shortages. While the strike was lifted at Esso-ExxonMobil on Friday, it continued on Monday at five TotalEnergies sites. Consequence: Sunday, 30% of service stations experienced shortages of at least one fuel.
Sunday evening, Elisabeth Borne indicated that there would be new requisitions of employees of oil depots in the event of “very tense situations” on supply. But the return to normal, “it is probably not at least before next week”, declared Monday on France Inter Clément Beaune, the Minister Delegate in charge of Transport. An uncertain context which calls into question the vacation plans of some, knowing that one in five French people takes a week’s vacation on All Saints’ Day, according to the Dares.
“It is out of the question that I cancel”
However, these fall holidays were announced under good auspices for professionals: “Reservations were at the same level as in 2019 before the pandemic”, indicates Xavier Rousselou, spokesperson for Abritel. “The occupancy rate of Gîtes de France should be 52% for the first week and 51% for the second”, informs Solange Escure, their general manager. Proof that the French having the means to afford a break did not intend to deprive themselves of it.
Moreover, black gold shortage or not, some are determined to leave, even if it means having to go around all the service stations in their neighborhood, opt for carpooling or rent an electric vehicle. Elisha, who responded to our call for witnesses, is one of those vacationers “at all costs”. “It is out of the question that I cancel. My mother lives 500 km away, in Loire-Atlantique, she never sees her grandchildren. For the moment, I was lucky, I always found fuel in Seine-et-Marne without waiting too long. »
They “wait for Wednesday or Thursday to decide”
Other French people are much less sure of being able to leave. “We do not observe a movement of panic, but there is a certain wait-and-see attitude”, notes Xavier Rousselou, spokesperson for Abritel. This is the case of Catherine, who wants to go to a family home: “I am waiting to find out if I could have petrol to go to Creuse”, she testifies. For those who have rented a cottage, they are not sure either of being able to pack their suitcase, most of these rentals being in rural areas: “We record 1% cancellation of stays for the All Saints holidays. Because most of the people who call us wait until Wednesday or Thursday to decide, ”observes Solange Escure. Especially since people who cancel are not reimbursed, they can just request a postponement of their stay, if the owner agrees and has other availability to offer.
Another solution for those who had not yet booked: change destination. “In this kind of situation, local tourism is privileged. A Lyonnais will go to the Jura, the Massif Central or the Drôme. A Parisian will opt for the Baie de Somme, Picardy or Perche”, observes Laurent Duc, president of the hotel branch of Umih (Union of hotel trades and industries). A trend that Xavier Rousselou also observes: “Regarding last-minute bookings, we are seeing a transfer of holidaymakers to nearby destinations. Parisians, for example, favor Seine-Maritime, the Normandy coast, the Channel and Calvados, which they can reach with a full tank. »
“We will finally go to Spain by plane”
Destinations accessible by train could also do well: “We have also seen an increase in reservations for Nice in recent days. Because the city has the advantage of being accessible by train as well as by plane”, observes Xavier Rousselou. Other vacationers also fall back on destinations accessible by air, even if it is not the same budget. Like Manon: “My spouse and I had planned to go on vacation for a week in a motorhome from Marseille, to criss-cross the Atlantic coast from Biarritz to Brittany. But if it’s to spend 3 hours every 2 days in service stations and worrying about not being able to move, it’s not worth it. We prefer to go abroad. We look at plane tickets and a formula all-inclusive. Same reflex for another reader: “We wanted to take our two granddaughters to the Alps for a week. We will finally go to Spain by plane. »
Still, some who wanted to travel to France do not want to take the risk of being blocked and have decided to cancel: “Hotels record 20 to 30% cancellations over the two weeks of All Saints. Because a Parisian is not going to go to Cannes if he is not sure of being able to come back, ”explains Laurent Duc. This is the case of Mathieu who had to leave for a week like every year: “The few open stations only offer Diesel in the Clamart/Meudon/Velizy area”, he explains. Ditto for Isa: “I had to go see my parents in the South-West, but I can’t go there, because there are few supply stations in my department. The trains are full and the plane overpriced,” she adds.
In addition to the gasoline shortage, there is a problem of purchasing power, as Brice confides: “The gasoline shortage, the increase in everything (canteen, property taxes, electricity, etc.) mean that we will stay at home instead of leaving. “A feeling shared by Karl:” Shortage of gasoline, property tax… My bank account is bleeding. My car stays in the garage and too bad for tourism in the rain. »