Overnight stays recorded in hotels in France monthly 2019-2020
The French hospitality sector right at the heart of the Covid-19 storm
The French government implemented restrictions to stop the spread of the Covid-19 virus that constrained numerous hotels to close their doors for several weeks in 2020. The hotel opening rate slightly rose back during the summer period, with the easing restrictions which followed the first lockdown in France. Nevertheless, the turnover generated by the French hotel industry was much weaker in 2020 compared with the previous year. This loss partly resulted from the low number of hotel nights spent by the foreign clientele. Populations in the world indeed reviewed, or were forced to review, their travel behaviors in 2020.
Travel behaviors that worked against the hospitality sector in France
The global pandemic caused by the new coronavirus (Covid-19) directly impacted the tourist flows in 2020. Instead of traveling for business motives, people worked from home during that period, which had an impact on the hospitality sector performances. As a matter of fact, hotels in France recorded far fewer business overnight stays in 2020 compared to the previous year. Moreover, the French spent much more nights in non-commercial accommodation in 2020, which also worked against the hospitality sector. This travel behavior among the French population confirmed the forecast made by tourism professionals before the high season: it was indeed expected that French would allocate lower budgets to their holidays in 2020.
Like the hotel industry, catering has also been affected by the crisis caused by the covid-19 pandemic. Restaurants in France put in place alternatives to continue working despite their obligation to remain closed. However, will these alternatives be sufficient to get out of this crisis without suffering irreversible losses?