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Midi-Pyrenees tourist numbers decline during third quarter.

The number of tourists visiting the Midi-Pyrenees region during the third quarter of 2009 has declined significantly compared to 2008 figures.

Over the months of July, August and September there were an average 13% less hotel room bookings with September being the worst month.  However, there are some interesting facts to be drawn from the report by INSEE.

The number of visitors to the region has been skewed by a sharp fall in the hotel bookings for Lourdes.  With the poor Lourdes figures removed, the decline in numbers only averages 3.5% over the three months, which given the current economic climate is not too bad.

The other significant feature of the report is that the number of French visitors has remained almost static year on year, whereas the number of foreign visitors has fallen dramatically.  Including the Lourdes figures there has been a 22% drop and excluding the Lourdes figures brings the fall to a still very worrying 16.5%.

France remains the most popular tourist destination in the world, with around 80 million tourists in 2008 and the country as a whole has only seen a 6% drop in visitor numbers.  Why Midi-Pyrenees suffered more than most is not discussed in the report, but clearly some investigation is required to discover the reasons.

For the large British community that provide gites and bed and breakfast accommodation, it simply underlines the fact that advertising is vital and even more so during difficult seasons.

Hopefully, with the faint hint of economic recovery around the world, next year will see an increase in visitors to the Midi-Pyrenees.

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