For some French, the holiday starts this Saturday. The opportunity for some change of air, as it is increasingly in February. At least that is of value to the professionals of tourism over the past few years as a Counter to Travel. "There is a decline in the amount of departure from July-August to other periods of the year and in particular February," says Alain Capestan, Chairman and ceo of Comptoir des Voyages. "We have seen an increase of 15% of bookings for these winter holidays. The deficit of snow until the end of the year 2018 and the lack of sunshine have encouraged the French to travel abroad," adds he. And this is confirmed in the figures. According to the barometer* Mondial Assistance/Opinion Way , the intentions of departure of 20% this year compared to 17% in 2018. In addition, the SNCF expects 13 million passengers on its trains from February 8 to march 10, which is 3% higher than last year.

And there's something for all tastes and all desires. For the French who wish to see more snow in this period of the year, nothing better than countries in the north. "We have a rate of growth surprising on the Finland", says Alain Capestan, promising there for a holiday "active", between walks in the snow, sled dogs, winter sports or even the amazing spectacle of the aurora borealis.

The lack of sun

For others, this time of year is synonymous with lack of vitamin D. This year, the French will go one day longer than last year, with an average of eight days, and will be many more to leave the Hexagon (29% compared to 22% in 2018) who often have cravings for heat. For example, according to the barometer Mondial Assistance/Opinion Way , a third of them would like from the west Indies.

Then, in their quest for sun, many French have chosen the countries of North Africa this year, more accessible. Egypt in particular is the leading destination in recent months and registered a growth of 50% in bookings. "For more than six months, the figures on the Egypt leave to be very strong," assures Alain Capestan. Cruises on the Nile, exploring the pyramids... so many projects, travelers this year will have in heart to discover.

This year also marks the return in force of the countries of the Middle East. Counter travel has noticed a reboot, for the first time since the arab spring, countries such as Jordan, Morocco, Tunisia, and the sultanate of Oman.

other more distant destinations also popular

For travelers in search of adventure for the more distant destinations are victims of their own success in recent times. Safaris in Tanzania, or even Kenya, for example, record increases in bookings of 30%. Ditto for Latin America that is unanimous among travelers. For example, Colombia and Costa Rica, which promise to "working holidays and cultural" to see their sales climb by 20%. Finally, the Asia like also to French travellers, who will spend February between Sri Lanka, Vietnam or Cambodia, for some of them.

A budget increase of 20%

On average for these holidays, the French will spend 1116, or € 188 euros more than last year, according to the barometer Mondial Assistance/Opinion Way . "This budget increase can be explained by the duration of the stays, which extends this year (8 days on average, compared with 7 days in February 2018)", justifie-t-on. But these expenses are also attributable to the holidays to winter sports. For the French remaining in france this month, the winter sports remain the preferred destination, and of course the most expensive. " frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="border:0;">

*This study was conducted with a sample of 1031 people, representative of the French population aged 18 years and older, constituted according to the method of quotas, in the light of the criteria of gender, age, socio-occupational category, category of agglomeration and area of residence.

Date Of Update: 11 February 2019, 00:00