30 Jul An opportunity for local tourism?

Posted at 16:03h in Tourist offices, Tourist sites, Tourism byDamien Grangé 0 comments

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An opportunity for local tourism?

Before the pandemic, Paris was the most visited city in the world. France was the top destinations in the world. Tourism in France depends largely on international tourists. Nevertheless, in this context of the end of the health crisis, professionals in the industry are naturally focusing on nationals.

I A favourable situation to develop domestic tourism

The INSEE report on tourist activity in France in 2020 was eagerly awaited and came as no surprise. The results were down all around the year in terms of overnight stays, with the exception of January and February, the entire tourism sector has been and continues to be impacted. This situation requires to look for alternatives, and local tourism is one of the solutions to this challenge.

As stated in this article from Le Figaro: Domestic tourism is expected to return to its highest level. McKinsey & Company estimates that international tourism should return to pre-Covid levels by 2024, while domestic tourism for France should return to it by 2023.

Aurelia Bettati, the associate director of the Paris office, says that " 68% of tourism in France should be made up of domestic travellers in 2021, compared to 58% in 2019".

The risks that travellers are willing to take with the virus will condition the evolution of local tourism across the globe and the budget that tourists plan to invest during their holidays. These two criteria should not stop the French, who are extremely impatient to get out again after 3 very heavy national lockdowns. The government's tourism season report shows that of the 53% of French people who went on holiday in July and August 2020, 94% of them stayed in France.

II Domestic tourism in the spotlight

Domestic visitors are the focus of most places to visit. With countries at different stages of their vaccination programmes, international travel is still lagging behind, and many museums and tourist sites hope to capitalise on national and local visitors. In fact, according to Gianluca Camaggio, sales director of Tourism Barcelona, at the beginning of May, two out of every three tourists staying in the city's hotels were from the city or surrounding area.

Many people are more inclined to look close to home to avoid unpleasant last-minute surprises. Attracting locals requires a different strategy than attracting international travellers. This is why the Camaggio Camaggio Barcelona has launched its new advertising campaign: "Barcelona like never before. Barcelona like never before". It presents all the great local attractions that make Barcelona great - but seen in a new light.

"The difference between local and international visitors is huge. It's a challenge for a destination to attract those people who don't want to feel like tourists. You have to change the way you communicate with them." - Gianluca Camaggio

Our advice:

It's time to rethink your prospecting angle. Local visitors want to see what's on their doorstep, but from a different perspective. Bridge the gap between travellers and locals by experimenting with different ways of presenting a place, as Tourism Barcelona has done with its campaign, which highlights the culture of Barcelona rather than focusing on traditional attractions.