According to a study by PAP Vacances, requests for reservations for the Easter holidays have fallen sharply since the start of the peak in petrol prices.
Rising fuel prices can jeopardize vacation plans. According to a survey* by the platform PAP Vacances, reservation requests for accommodation during the Easter holidays have fallen sharply since the beginning of March, shortly after the outbreak of the war in Ukraine and the rising prices of electricity and petrol that followed. Reservations that have continued to fall despite the government’s announced cut in gasoline prices for April 1.
A trend break from the beginning of the year, when the strong increase in reservation requests suggested a good year, above the level of 2019, the last normal year before the health crisis. According to PAP Vacances, the spring break reservation volume should finally be at the same level as in 2019 (-0.2%), even though the school holiday calendar is almost identical and health restrictions have all been lifted. †
73% of bookings by the sea
The sea remains the number 1 destination for the Easter holidays, accounting for three quarters (73%) of reservations on PAP Vacances. Striking change: Normandy (Manche and Calvados) plummets by 32.5%, while the northern coasts of the Channel (Seine-Maritime, Somme and Pas-de-Calais) rise by 19%. “Probably because of more accessible pricing” for the latter, the platform notes that the two regions have a similar climate.
In addition, reservations in rural areas have risen sharply compared to 2019, from 6% to 9% market share. The southern half of the country is favored by holidaymakers: the Lot (+62.7%) and the Rhône Valley (Vaucluse +50.7%, Gard +44.3%, Ardèche +42.3%) score the strongest increases. Finally, Overseas France recorded a 36% increase compared to 2019, mainly benefiting Reunion (+107.9%) and Guadeloupe (+90.4%).
In the mountains, skiers shun the slopes: Easter holiday reservations, after setting Christmas holiday records, have fallen compared to 2019, with less snowfall than two years ago.
†Study based on 18,768 reservation requests made for the Easter holidays 2022 (from Saturday, April 9, 2022 to Sunday, May 7, 2022), compared with reservations made for the same holidays in 2019 (from Saturday, April 6, 2019 to Sunday, May 5, 2019 )
