Wednesday, July 21, 2010

The Parisians are leaving - but will the tourists come?

The true Parisian will always leave the city for at least a couple of weeks in July or August, but it would seem elsewhere in the world that staycations are becoming more and more popular. Will this hurt Paris's position as one of the world's top tourist destinations?

Travel Onion, citing research by
StrategyOne, is reporting that only 28% of Americans are planning to take a vacation this year, a figure which should ensure that the streets and restaurants of Paris are a little quieter this summer. The good news for those catering for tourists in Paris is that the survey also found that those who will be travelling are planning to spend more than they did last year!

With similarly difficult situations in the other countries, such as the UK and Italy, which send large quantities of visitors to Paris, the city may experience its lowest number of tourists for many years. However, Paris has seen a growth in the number of visitors from growing markets such as China and the Middle East, which may just compensate. One thing is clear though - the city will seemingly always keep its appeal, ensuring that it will be well placed when holiday budgets pick up again.

No comments: