The 13th edition of the Mondial Assistance Barometer "The French and Their Holidays" reveals that only 13% of French people go on holiday around Halloween. This is the lowest rate of outbound travel on record since the establishment of the barometer.
According to the researchers the French sacrifice their holidays for financial reasons. The barometer shows that 46% of them lack the money to go away and 35% prefer to save to focus on other expenses.
The average budget of the French holidaymaker traveling around Halloween or the All Saints Day is EUR 805 which is much more than in October 2013 (EUR 636) or October 2012 (EUR 658). 34% of travelers plan long haul holiday on a sunny beach. 29% of holidaymakers chose the seaside as a destination for their October holiday, while 25% prefer the countryside and the same proportion opt for city breaks.
France is the destination of choice for 62% of holidaymakers this year, which is 16% less than in October 2012 and 15% less than in October 2013. Trips abroad, particularly in Europe, are however becoming more and more frequent: 21% of travelers are planning to travel to a European country for the holiday, compared to only 15% last year.
One in four French holidaymakers (26%) opted for the last minute bookings. They were mostly young people (39% under 35 years against 18% of those aged 50 and over). Last minute booking is preferred by travelers who want to have good weather (45%) and who want to have better prices (39%).