French stores and holidays in France remained attractive for tourists even during the financial crisis. As you might expect, this includes overseas visits and vacations, which have been on the decline since the recession began.
According to a recent report, international holidays fell by over six percent in the last quarter of 2009. Of course, the trend is more pronounced when we take a look at the year-on-year numbers that tell us that overseas sojourns declined by more than fourteen percent from 2008 to 2009.
The numbers also tell us that when UK residents do go on holiday overseas, they are staying close to home. For example, holidays to favourite vacation spots like Orlando and Las Vegas have fallen off by over twenty percent. Only revenue from France stores and holidays in France have remained fairly steady.
Why is France the one nation that still appeals to travellers? For the third straight year the country of cheese has been the number one destination for vacationers world wide. But even though some intrepid souls are spending their hard-earned money overseas, one growing travel trend has actually given birth to a new word or neologism. They call them staycations, which is when a person goes on holiday at home.
Believe it or not, this trend has been a great boon to the travel industry in the UK, as international visits have declined by more than fifteen percent in the past year. The only problem, of course, is the residents on holiday in their own countries dont spend nearly as much in foreign shops, including French stores!