Earlier this year, the holiday rental company, Interhome Group, surveyed the travel intentions of French people across Europe. Are there any real surprises?
The gold medal of the essential European country to visit goes to… France!
The prize for the most hospitable country goes to Spain, while France is still acclaimed as the destination of choice for its gastronomy. Finally, high inflation and the rise in energy prices do not seem to have an impact on the holiday budget too much. Only 16% of respondents say they will spend less money on vacations this year. For nearly 70%, the car remains by far the most used means of transport, while the French are also more and more open to train holidays (27%), especially among young people surveyed.
It is usual that France remains the 1st destination for the French
During the survey carried out among 1,180 holidaymakers aged between 18 and 70, Interhome probed the essential European destination for the French to explore. And a big winner emerged: France. The grass is therefore not always greener elsewhere for the French, especially for men and people between 25 and 44 years old.
Greece is popular with young people
Greece is the other winning European destination with 11% of respondents. We note however that it is mainly young people aged 18 to 25 who want to go there as well as people residing in the departments of Grand-Est and Auvergne Rhône Alpes.
With 8% of preferences, Finland is the first of the Scandinavian countries to visit for the French Still in the top 5, we can only see the love for the pearls of the south with Italy (9%) and Croatia ( 6%).
For food, the French love their specialties first
Interhome Group also asked about the food preferences of the French. With all the savory and sweet specialties of the country, the French are chauvinistic when it comes to gastronomy. Italy comes in second place: fresh pasta, creamy burrata or pizza also make the French dream.
On the other hand, if the French acclaim France in terms of gastronomy, they are more critical of its hospitality since they consider Spain to be the most welcoming country in Europe.
Concerns about price increases?
About 84% of French people travel at least once a year. Of these, 37% make two or three trips and even 14% make four or five.
Nearly 80% indicate that the rise in energy prices will certainly have an effect on their budget to travel to their holiday destination. Concerning the high inflation, only 21% think that this will not affect their vacation budget on site. Men are less worried than women. The largest majority, 79%, are considering fewer on-site activities (39%), fewer restaurant meals (37%) and cheaper accommodations (35%).
