Summer holidays: how are French households adapting their travel plans to tighter budgets?
The headline figure immediately shows the divide: one in two French people will not go on holiday this summer, primarily for budget reasons.
For the other half, a ten-day holiday requires an average budget of between €1,500 and €2,000.
That is a significant amount, which explains why households who can afford to travel are carefully adjusting their destination and other elements of the trip rather than simply giving up holidays altogether.
What does this divide reveal about household purchasing power? How are European tourism flows changing? And what does holiday spending tell us about the real hierarchy of consumer priorities?
Key figures on summer holiday budgets
Key takeaways:
– one in two French people will not go on holiday this summer, mainly for budget reasons
– an average budget of €1,500 to €2,000 for ten days for those who travel
– France remains the world’s leading tourist destination, welcoming more than 100 million visitors a year
– Spain reached a record 94 million tourists in 2024
– Italy welcomes around 60 million visitors annually
– bookings to the United States are down 7% for the summer
A two-speed holiday market
The fact that one in two French people will not travel deserves particular attention.
It considerably qualifies the idea that leisure spending is uniformly protected by households.
In reality, there are two very different groups of consumers.
For some households, holidays are simply unaffordable
For this group, there is no travel budget to optimise.
The household is effectively excluded from the market.
This is an important reminder that budget pressure does not always result in minor adjustments.
It can also lead to complete withdrawal from a category of spending.
Other households adjust rather than cancel
These households have the €1,500 to €2,000 needed for a ten-day holiday.
Their decisions shape the tourism market:
– destination
– duration
– accommodation
– travel dates
– transport choices
This distinction is essential when interpreting tourism data.
Trends such as stronger demand for European destinations or weaker bookings to the United States describe the behaviour of people who are travelling, not French households as a whole.
Closer destinations help households control costs
In a period of geopolitical uncertainty, European travellers are favouring destinations closer to home.
Tourism flows reflect this trend.
France remains the world’s leading tourist destination, attracting more than 100 million international visitors a year.
Spain reached a record 94 million tourists in 2024.
Italy receives around 60 million visitors annually.
By contrast, bookings to the United States are down around 7% for the summer.
This shift reflects substitution rather than complete abandonment.
Long-haul travel generally involves higher transport costs, exchange-rate exposure, longer minimum stays and greater uncertainty.
Closer destinations make it possible to preserve the holiday itself while reducing both the financial cost and the perceived risk.
In other words:
households do not necessarily cancel the holiday they bring it closer to home.
Why pleasure makes some spending more resilient
This pattern illustrates one of the ideas repeatedly documented by the Cetelem Observatory.
Pleasure influences consumption in two important ways.
Pleasure can make spending more resilient
Households often defend spending that provides enjoyment more strongly than its theoretically discretionary status might suggest.
They want to preserve the experience.
Pleasure also encourages trade-offs
Resilience does not mean spending remains unchanged.
Instead, households adjust the format:
– a closer destination
– a shorter stay
– different accommodation
– another travel period
The pleasure itself is protected, while the way it is consumed becomes negotiable.
The same mechanism can be seen across other consumer markets, including:
– leisure attractions
– cultural spending
– home and garden expenditure
– experiential services
It also provides an interesting contrast with durable goods.
A household may simply postpone replacing a car.
But rather than cancelling a summer holiday altogether, a household with sufficient resources may choose a different destination.
👉 Read also: the economic importance of culture in France
👉 Read also: economic uncertainty and household wait-and-see behaviour
What the holiday market reveals about household spending
Three main lessons emerge.
Budget pressure affects households in different ways
For some, it means exclusion.
For others, it means adjustment.
Any analysis of leisure consumption needs to distinguish between these two populations.
Households often adjust the format rather than the principle
Among people who can afford to travel, the main variables are destination, duration and accommodation.
The holiday itself is often more strongly protected.
Proximity has become a consumer benefit in its own right
Closer destinations reduce travel costs.
But they can also reduce uncertainty, particularly when the geopolitical environment feels unstable.
Proximity therefore combines both financial and psychological value.
FAQ – Summer holiday budgets in France
Why will one in two French people not go on holiday this summer?
Primarily for budget reasons. With a typical ten-day holiday costing
between €1,500 and €2,000, many households do not have sufficient
financial capacity to travel.
Are French households cancelling holidays or changing destination?
Households with sufficient budget generally adjust rather than cancel.
They may choose a closer destination, shorten the trip or change
accommodation while still preserving the holiday itself.
Why are European tourists choosing destinations closer to home?
Closer destinations can reduce transport costs, exchange-rate exposure
and uncertainty. In a difficult geopolitical environment, proximity
offers both financial savings and greater predictability.
What are Europe’s leading tourist destinations?
France remains the world’s leading tourist destination with more than
100 million visitors annually. Spain welcomed a record 94 million
tourists in 2024, while Italy receives around 60 million visitors a year.
Why does holiday spending remain resilient despite budget pressure?
Cetelem Observatory research suggests that pleasure is a strong driver
of both resilience and trade-offs. Households often protect enjoyable
experiences by changing their format rather than abandoning them
completely.
Why will one in two French people not go on holiday this summer?
Primarily for budget reasons. With a typical ten-day holiday costing between €1,500 and €2,000, many households do not have sufficient financial capacity to travel.
Are French households cancelling holidays or changing destination?
Households with sufficient budget generally adjust rather than cancel. They may choose a closer destination, shorten the trip or change accommodation while still preserving the holiday itself.
Why are European tourists choosing destinations closer to home?
Closer destinations can reduce transport costs, exchange-rate exposure and uncertainty. In a difficult geopolitical environment, proximity offers both financial savings and greater predictability.
What are Europe’s leading tourist destinations?
France remains the world’s leading tourist destination with more than 100 million visitors annually. Spain welcomed a record 94 million tourists in 2024, while Italy receives around 60 million visitors a year.
Why does holiday spending remain resilient despite budget pressure?
Cetelem Observatory research suggests that pleasure is a strong driver of both resilience and trade-offs. Households often protect enjoyable experiences by changing their format rather than abandoning them completely.
Key takeaways
One in two French people will not go on holiday this summer, mainly for budget reasons.
For those who do travel, the average budget is between €1,500 and €2,000 for ten days.
These households are more likely to adjust the destination than abandon the trip.
Closer European destinations benefit from both lower costs and reduced uncertainty.
France remains the world’s leading tourist destination with more than 100 million visitors, ahead of Spain, which welcomed 94 million in 2024, and Italy at around 60 million.
Meanwhile, bookings to the United States are down approximately 7% for the summer.
The market illustrates a broader Cetelem Observatory finding: pleasure can be a powerful source of resilience in household spending, but consumers preserve it by adapting how they spend rather than refusing to make trade-offs.
