The first trends observed for the summer season ending at the end of the week, show that national results are stable compared to last year. Indeed, attendance fell by 0.4 points over the two months of the summer. Moreover, attendance increased slightly by 0.2 points in July, whilst in August its estimated to decrease by 1 point.
According to MKG Consulting, the first trends observed for the summer season ending at the end of the week, show that national results are stable compared to last year. Indeed, attendance fell by 0.4 points over the two months of the summer. Moreover, attendance increased slightly by 0.2 points in July, whilst in August its estimated to decrease by 1 point. The unstable weather at the beginning of August probably influenced their decrease in attendance. Provincial institutions, thanks to good weather in the month of July, posted a slight increase in their attendance.
Paris and Ile-de-France region recorded a decline in turnout compared to last year (-1.2 points for Paris, while the Ile-de-France region fell by -1.7 points). (cf Graph 1: Evolution of attendance by Major Zones (in points) – Summer Season 2019 vs 2018).
The reduction in attendance is mainly marked in the categories ranging from 3* to 5*, while categories 1* and 2* register positive progress in their occupancy rate. This meant that there was a lack in presence of international clientele in comparison to the previous year, noticeably marked by the different manifestations undergone by the yellow vests, that have been in the news since the beginning of the year. Furthermore, March and April are important months for summer bookings. On the other hand, the good health of the lower categories shows that customers are always looking for a quality product, but above all, at a competitive price. All hotel categories experienced even more competition this year from outdoor hotels as well as private and seasonal rentals. (cf Graph 2: Evolution of attendance by Categories (in points) – Summer Season 2019 vs 2018
Heterogeneous performances on the French Coastline
Brittany and the Atlantic coast recorded excellent performances in July (an increase in turnout of 3.8 points for Brittany and 2.6 points for the Atlantic coast) thanks to excellent weather, however, August was different facing a decrease of -2.6 points and -2.5 points respectively. The positive results provided by Brittany are even more remarkable with the given of the “Tour de France” leaving the territory, whereas last year several stages took place within Brittany’s territory. Concerning the region of Cote d’Azur / Languedoc, with regards to the summer season, attendance has remained stable (+0,2 point) in comparison to the previous year. The month of August is less affected than other territories with attendance down by only 0.8 points. (cf Graph 3: Evolution of attendance by Coastal Zones (in points) – Summer Season 2019 vs 2018).
Significant price reductions in August in Paris
At the national level, prices rose in July (+1.7% compared to July 2018) throughout the country. In August, a slight increase in prices was also observed, but to a lesser degree (+0.7%). However, Parisian hoteliers made a sharp decrease in their rates in August (-4.2%). Thus, making it the first-time prices had fallen in the capital for more than a year and a half.
The same slow trend observed with our European neighbors
With the exception of Spain that posted a +1.1 point increase in hotel attendance over the summer period, all other European countries recorded stable or even declining performances, as did France. The Spanish coastline remains of value for European tourism, as it attracts many tourists from all over Europe year after year.
Tatiana is the news coordinator for TravelDailyNews Media Network (traveldailynews.gr, traveldailynews.com and traveldailynews.asia). Her role includes monitoring the hundreds of news sources of TravelDailyNews Media Network and skimming the most important according to our strategy.
She holds a Bachelor's degree in Communication & Mass Media from Panteion University of Political & Social Studies of Athens and she has been editor and editor-in-chief in various economic magazines and newspapers.
