In France, hotel occupancy in July 2021 stood at 81% of its July 2019 level. The influx of resident tourists did not make up for the absence of tourists from abroad. From the two main foreign clientele groups, the United Kingdom and North America, very few tourists returned, and there were five times fewer hotel overnight stays in July 2021 than in July 2019.

Conversely, resident tourist numbers were very strong in July, especially in market accommodation (hotels, camp sites, rentals via platforms etc.). This contrasts with summer 2020, when residents tended to favour non-market accommodation (in second homes, at the home of friends or family).

The good performance of resident tourism was accompanied by dynamic tourist spending, especially in July. This boost seems to have been advantageous for almost all areas, except Île-de-France which suff ered from a substantial drop in visitor numbers: the number of overnight stays in Île-de-France was halved compared to its July 2019 level, due to the disaffection of their foreign clientele.

Other European countries also suffered from a decline in demand in the accommodation sector: “high-frequency” indicators, covering searches for hotels and reviews on Airbnb, seem to suggest a timid recovery in tourist numbers in Europe, in contrast to the United States, where the accommodation sector seems to have recovered more quickly.