The West Indies and Reunion are the most popular destinations for the end of the year holidays.
Christmas on the beaches of the Caribbean or New Year’s Eve in the middle of the Indian Ocean? For French people who will be spending the end-of-year celebrations outside France, head for the overseas islands: reservations for Guadeloupe, Martinique or Reunion Island have been flying for a few days.
The demand is very strong and we are obliged to put in additional flights to contain this demand, “assures Laurent Abitbol, at the head of the Marietton group (Selectour, Havas Voyages) and of its 485 travel agencies.
With the announced lifting of travel restrictions and the end of derogatory certificates from December 15, “travelers are realizing that they will be able to travel. However, Overseas France remains one of the easiest destinations to travel to. ‘access during this Christmas period “, reports Guillaume Rostand, spokesperson for the airline ticket comparator Liligo.
An easily accessible destination
Easier to access because antigenic tests – faster to obtain than PCR tests – may be sufficient, under certain conditions, to get there. The measures against the coronavirus are also less strict there than in metropolitan France: the bars remain closed, but the restaurants are open. Air France, to cope with the renewed demand, will quadruple its services to Overseas Territories for the holiday season.
“From the announcements [sur le déconfinement], we have a very strong growth in our sales, with a threefold increase compared to previous volumes (…). Many foreign destinations are not open [aux touristes], this is the case of Mauritius or Florida, so the West Indies and Reunion are a very good destination. We are in a French environment, it gives a certain security, the weather is nice, it’s a very good opportunity “, for his part assured Pascal de Izaguirre on BFM Business, at the head of the airline company Corsair, which connects the metropolis. and overseas.
-30% to Pointe-à-Pitre
This attraction for overseas destinations is also a question of budget: according to Liligo, the prices of plane tickets to Saint-Denis de la Réunion have fallen by 14% compared to last year, and by nearly 30% for Pointe-à-Pitre, in Guadeloupe. And, according to the online comparator, this drop in prices is not reserved for the West Indies or Reunion: plane tickets to neighboring countries, such as Portugal or Morocco, sell on average 20 to 25% less. expensive than usual.
But also … the Middle East, and more precisely the United Arab Emirates. If we do not count the “affinity market” – travelers who visit their families in France but also in the Maghreb or Senegal – Dubai is establishing itself as the first leisure destination this winter, according to flight comparator Mister Fly. Some “high budget” travelers, forced to give up ski resorts, would refer to the emirate, “because these are equivalent budget levels,” explains Frédéric Filloud, director of e-commerce at Mister Fly.
Skiing ban
But the government is not completely letting go of travel overseas or abroad. If the latter are authorized, the Prime Minister asked any tourists to “keep themselves informed” before leaving by scrutinizing “the health situation in the country of destination and any restrictions in terms of access and stay”. And there is no question of going skiing in Italy, Switzerland or Austria: according to Jean Castex, those who would be checked at the border of a return from a stay in winter sports would risk isolation for 7 days.
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