France and Bordeaux, favorite destinations for international tourists!

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Rightly so, France and its riches such as Bordeaux wines are recognized throughout the world. Indeed, Bordeaux stands out as the world capital of wine. Every year, it attracts lovers of great vintages from all over the world. Moreover, its richness between tradition and modernity never ceases to amaze. Despite a particularly disappointing 2020 following the health crisis, tourism is gradually recovering. Indeed, the balance sheet of the Bordeaux tourist office is better than that of 2020.

If in May the results were still timid, the months of July and August ensured a gradual return of foreign customers. The latter seems ready again to go beyond The European borders. The occupancy rates of hotels in the Bordeaux metropolis were between 65 and 70% for the month of August. Spanish, German, Dutch, Belgian and Swiss customers are back. Travelers favored urban tourism with a 60% increase in city visits compared to the previous year. For its part, the city of wine shows good results with attendance during the summer season increasing by 26% compared to 2020. Moreover, in August its attendance is almost identical to that observed before the health crisis.

The Planet Intelligence report published in September 2018 confirms this trend in tourism. France, and in particular Nouvelle-Aquitaine with Bordeaux, once again demonstrates its attractiveness. If international tourists are usually present on the July-August period, a small novelty appears for the month of September: the Hexagonal territory has become during this autumn 2018, the most popular European destination in terms of tourism. All the conditions are in place to make France and Bordeaux destinations of choice. The Parisian capital, the Côte d’Azur beaches, the southern region or the Bassin d’Arcachon contribute to this. With a warm climate and beautiful sunshine, this summer was a great opportunity for international travelers to enjoy their holidays with family or friends.

Summer holidays, a key business period for France and Bordeaux

Summer is generally a good time for tourism and travel in France and also in Bordeaux. Overall, this is a season that means the end of the cycle for everyone. During this transitional period, rest, relaxation and fun are the watchwords. After a long year, a well-deserved rest is required. Parents take their children on vacation. Young people take road trips, participate in water activities (water skiing, jet skiing, jet pack, parasailing, scuba diving). They go for walks at sea or visit national parks in a logic of ecological tourism. Restaurants, hotels, bars, and night clubs are also very busy. This is usually the type of activity that young people like to take part in this season.

Many events in France arouse the interest of tourists and create an important emulation in cities like Bordeaux. For example, the Paris Fashion Week of September 2018, held from September 25 to October 3, attracted more non-European tourists than London and Milan Fashion Weeks. Yet much appreciated and practiced in London, one might have expected a different result. As for Milan, this city is famous for its class, its showroom and its taste for fashion in general.

Despite this, it was Paris Fashion Week that attracted the most people. Considered a major lever for the appeal of international travellers, Paris Fashion Week has attracted a large number of buyers. Summer is also the season of the window-shopping. Indeed, individuals as well as companies having in common their passion for Fashion, make themselves available. They shop in the big cities of France and especially in Bordeaux. Asians are the biggest spenders. As an indication, Hong Kong tourists remain the ones who spent the most during the Fashion Week of September 2018 in Paris (3,138 euros), ahead of the Taiwanese (2,442 euros) and the Chinese (2,038 euros). This is therefore a growth-enhancing event for the country.

A major lever for growth

On the other hand, American tourists have also played an important role for France and cities like Bordeaux. Their average expenditure increased by 7.8%, zero-rated purchases increased by 57.3%, with an increase in VAT refunds of 46%. Proof that purchases with tax-free services are therefore very popular with American customers now. Very practiced by Asians, this practice is therefore also popular among American springs.

Tourism has therefore allowed France to accelerate its economic growth overall. France and for example the city of Bordeaux are major players in tourism in Europe and the other edifying figures prove it. Indeed, if we carefully analyze the figures in terms of foreign visitors passing through a territory, France is the number 1 in the world with nearly 87 million international travelers. In second place, we naturally find Spain with 82 million people. The United States ranks third with more than 76 million foreign nationals entering the territory.

According to Xerfi (Institute for Private and Independent Studies, which specialises in sectoral economic analysis in France and abroad), France is the third country in terms of turnover achieved by the purchases of foreign tourists with 54 billion euros. A good economic performance that demonstrates the attraction aroused by France in the hearts of foreigners.

However, this performance is still lower than that of Spain, which has a turnover of 60 billion euros and 190 billion euros for the United States. These three countries are thus once again present on the world podium. Accustomed to shopping malls, international travellers take advantage of their holiday periods to make new purchases.

In France, the seasonal rental market also benefits from these tourist periods on the coast not far from Bordeaux, tourists are massing. Hotels have high occupancy rates in the summer, and have very high turnovers. Tourism is therefore a reliable sector for the economy of the most attractive countries.

Anthony NSANGUE

Sources:

https://www.entreprises.gouv.fr/fr

Planet Intelligence Report – September 2018

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