Gers tourism returns to its pre-Covid crisis gauges

The tourist summer in the Gers was not memorable, but it is not bad, the month of August in particular. After the summer of 2021, which had seen attendance explode after the months of confinement, the clientele resumed their habits. The figures communicated by the CDT 32 – the departmental tourism committee – for the month of August. They are based on the answers of some of the 995 Gers professionals questioned.

In terms of attendance, 65% of responses suggest a month of August equivalent to or greater than the same period in 2021. On the other hand, activity is considered average. According to the analysis of the CDT 32, the drop in purchasing power explains part of the behavior of tourists. In the sector of local products, wine or Armagnac, we also judge the attendance to be lower than August 2021 at 64%. Consumption has been reduced by the crisis, and the level of expenditure is considered average in general.

Restoration spared

Most of these August tourists are French, and most often they come from Gers itself, Haute-Garonne or Gironde. The north of the country, with Île-de-France and the North also brings many visitors. The foreign clientele, according to 29% of the responses received, is on the rise, and includes many Belgians, Britons and Dutch. “The catering has done quite well, especially with the return of this foreign clientele, according to the feedback from our members, says Arthur Pailhes, president of the UMIH, the union of hotel and catering professionals in the Gers. Our board of directors takes place on September 22, and will make it possible to make a clearer point. But the public returns to the restaurant. We observe, however, that they are still a little sulky in cafes and bars, which are struggling to find their regulars. .”

The heat wave weighed on the behavior of tourist customers. “The heat had a direct impact on attendance, according to a professional, with midday services sometimes weak and very busy evenings.” The weather also influenced the choices of visitors. Leisure centres, bathing places, appear at the top of requests for information, in tourist offices accommodation. This is reflected in the figures for cultural venues. Where 45% of players in the Gers leisure sector consider that attendance was higher compared to 2021, only 36% share this opinion in the culture sector.

CDT 32 is now hoping for a milder autumn for Gers tourism: September is shaping up to be the most promising of the next two months, in terms of bookings.