“Come and visit Île-de-France” is the message sent this Monday morning by Franck Delvau, president of the Union des trades et des industries de l’hôtellerie (Umih) Île-de-France, at our colleagues from France Bleu. This is in essence what all the professionals in the sector have been proclaiming for weeks and they seem to be heard. After a catastrophic year 2020 for Ile-de-France tourism, and an encouraging but still shy summer, tourists are starting to put the region back on the map of destinations for these All Saints holidays.
Usually quiet time
Proof of this is a report from PAP Vacances shows that bookings are exploding, with an increase of 72.6% compared to 2019, the last year without Covid-19. An increase that is part of a national trend (54.8%), and particularly marked in the Paris region. “This is a significant increase, because the All Saints’ Day holidays are usually rather quiet,” says a spokesperson for PAP Vacances.
According to this expert, Île-de-France benefits from a setting that is conducive to attracting holidaymakers on All Saints’ Day, holidays “turned towards the family”. Parks like Disneyland or Parc Astérix are popular and their special Halloween programming appeals to parents and children alike. But above all, the region is full of versatile vacation spots such as the Palace of Versailles, the forests of Fontainebleau and Rambouillet, or Barbizon, the village of painters. All of them offer a cultural offer, space, possibilities for outdoor activities and nature walks. In addition, their proximity to the capital allows them to allow themselves a few additional outings. “This attracts a lot of visitors from the surrounding regions, usually a 2 or 3 hour drive away,” adds the spokesperson for PAP Vacances.
Telework to take a few days with the children
Parisians are not left out, especially Parisians. Always scalded by the various confinements, they are looking for fresh air. And teleworking has changed that. It allows them to take a few days to take the children to the countryside, while continuing to work. By staying an hour or two from Paris, they can find nature and the space they need to relax while remaining available if they need to join the office for a day.
The capital is benefiting a little less than the rest of the region from this revival of tourism. First of all, because his usual attendance is more “international”. However, foreigners are not yet fully returning, “especially long-haul”, as Franck Delvau points out. According to the Regional Tourism Committee (CRT) of Paris region, we are just starting to see the Americans, the first contingent of tourists in September 2020 (14% of foreign visitors). The same goes for the Chinese and the Russians. The bulk of foreigners who visited the region in September this year are German, Belgian, Italian or Spanish, but in smaller proportions.
Business tourism is lacking in the capital
Paris tourism professionals suffer from this, especially hoteliers who, according to Umih, only fill their establishments at 65%, or 20 points less than in 2019. A positive point all the same, they are 79% at report an increase in activity compared to the same period last year and 49% consider it good. However, they are impatiently awaiting the restart of business tourism which represented a significant part of their pre-Covid-19 activity.