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In three days, spring vacation starts, which lasts from April 6 to May 6. A holiday for which the French prefer sunny destinations. However, the first place in their hearts is held by a city that is not located in the south of the country.
– Île-de-France is the territory most facing a decrease in occupancy (-6.5% in 2023 compared to 2022) in hotels, especially unclassified, and the only one to see a decrease in the number of nights for both French and foreign customers.
In a few days, the school bell will ring for the start of spring break for schoolchildren in zone C (Paris, Créteil, Montpellier, Toulouse, Versailles). Sunny seaside destinations are once again popular with the French. Marrakesh, Barcelona, Rome, Dubai, Istanbul, Seville… As the good weather slowly settles in France, the French, as well as international travelers, are heading south, according to a Booking.com study published on Wednesday, April 3. Dubai is at the head of the most sought-after destinations by tourists from all over the world, ahead of Paris, in fourth position, right behind Rome and Barcelona.
But if foreigners prefer the Emirati skyscrapers, the French still demonstrate their affection for the City of Lights, placing it at the top of the most sought-after spring break destinations for the second year in a row. And that despite the gloomy weather at the beginning of spring. Undoubtedly an opportunity to take full advantage of Paris before the start of the Olympic Games on July 26 without suffering increase in metro ticket pricesof hotel rooms – which, according to INSEE, have seen an average price increase of 20% since 2019 -, restaurants and public transport saturation.
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Marseille, the second most popular city for French tourists
According to a study by Booking.com, Marseille is in second place in the ranking of the most attractive cities for spring break, replacing its neighbor Nice, which was relegated to third place. 2023 was a good year for the city of Marseille. The historic visit of Pope Francis and the hosting of the Rugby World Cup increased the number of tourists by four points compared to 2022. In almost a decade, the number of visitors to Marseille has doubled, from 2.6 million in 2011 to 5 million in 2022. In the ranking of Booking other cities in the French Mediterranean basin appear, such as Cannes (7th), Toulouse (8th) and Montpellier (10th), which are last on the podium but which have the merit of making it for the first time
The Booking survey also shows an appetite for mountain-side cities such as Annecy (6th), overlooking the Atlantic Ocean such as Bordeaux (5th) or La Rochelle (9th) or even cities steeped in history and culture such as Lyon (4th).
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