Why the high season looks promising for campsites in the East Var

Good omens. Everything seems to indicate, for the moment, if we are to believe Michel Nore, the departmental president of the outdoor hotel union, that we are heading for a great tourist season at the various campsites in the Eastern Var region.

"We're expecting a 5% increase in attendance this year compared to last year," says the man who also heads the Tikayan group, which brings together numerous campsites across four departments in the region.

"It's important to know that 2024 was already showing a 5% increase over 2023. Because the post-Covid-19 period was very unusual: we saw a gentle recovery in bookings in 2021, before inevitably an explosion in attendance in 2022, a very special year for the profession. So much so that in 2023, there was a sudden 15% drop in bookings. And since last year, things are normalizing, gradually returning to the pre-pandemic period. We're not yet at the 2019 figures, but we hope to quickly return to that level of attendance. However, we note that customer demand has changed."

This is good news, however, for professionals working in campsites of all types - from simple spaces where you can pitch your tent to five-star hotels with all the mod cons.

It must be said that the Eastern Var, from Le Muy to the depths of Saint-Raphaël, passing through Puget, Roquebrune and Fréjus, has a very large concentration of outdoor accommodation establishments - as it is also called - compared to the rest of the department and the region. So this also promises "very positive economic benefits" for the population area.

"A dip in early June before an increase from mid-June"

This prediction of an even better high season than last year is explained "by the significant number of reservations that the establishments have already received" , explains Michel Nore.

"Furthermore, we learned that quite a few tour operators have been turning to our region in the last year or so, because the weather has been, so far, rather bad in other regions of France, compared to here. Third indicator: foreigners are also increasingly returning to our region."

Finally, last indicator and not least, "motorhome sales are clearly on the rise this year! 35,000 were sold in Europe in one year. More and more campsites are allocating spaces to these vehicles, and parks specialized in accommodating them are also growing rapidly."

Already, the Var boss of this sector - who, at 76 years old next year, will hand over the presidency in April 2026 - notes a blessed month of May in the East Var: "Our establishments had a very good month of May, especially at the end of May and the long Ascension Day bank holiday. We know that we will have, as every year, a little hollow at the beginning of June, before things start up again in full swing from mid-June."

The clientele and their constantly evolving desires

The first of the latest developments observed by the industry: the rise of seasonal wings. Once confined to July and August, the peak season "now extends well into June and September."

Wanted by the various municipalities and urban areas, this progression also benefits campsites, of course, "which can better spread out their services to customers over a longer period."

This is due to the efforts of institutions and different establishments to attract holidaymakers outside of July and August , "but it is also due to the changing way of consuming. Before, we went camping for three weeks in the same place."

"People are much more flexible now and prefer to go away for shorter periods of time, and more frequently," notes Michel Nore. "So the weather plays a bigger role than before: if you saw a rainy day coming, before, it didn't matter, since you stayed in one place for three weeks. Whereas now, customers are much more attentive to the weather forecast since they only go to a place for a few days on average. Since the weather is better here than elsewhere, it's beneficial for us!"

Campsites, for their part, have also had to adapt. "We've inevitably gained flexibility. As for customers, they increasingly have tastes for luxury, demand more services, and always demand more comfort. They like "packages," all-in-one options. We have to get rid of the clichéd image we have of camping as seen on TV."

Last-minute booking requests are now rife. This also makes forecasting a little more complicated. "Let's hope for good weather this summer! And that will confirm our hopes."