Concentration saisonnière du tourisme

Commissariat général au développement durableJul 3, 2019

En France, la concentration saisonnière du tourisme est particulièrement marquée pendant l’été et les vacances scolaires. Ce phénomène se cumule à la concentration spatiale du tourisme, générant localement et ponctuellement des pressions environnementales complexes à gérer pour les territoires concernés : production de déchets accrue, rejets d’eaux usées et de polluants atmosphériques (déplacements, activités, etc.), consommation d’eau, perturbation des écosystèmes, etc.

In France, the seasonal concentration of tourism is particularly pronounced during summer and school holidays. This phenomenon combines with tourism's spatial concentration, creating locally and temporarily complex environmental pressures for affected territories to manage: increased waste production, wastewater and air pollutant discharge (travel, activities, etc.), water consumption, ecosystem disruption, etc.

2 chapters

Activity concentrated during the summer period
Summer peak
• In France, tourism is heavily concentrated in time. Driven by school schedules, this activity peaks during the summer period. French travelers predominantly favor stays in August, regardless of their chosen destination. • In 2017, nearly 40% of nights spent on personal travel in metropolitan France by French residents occurred in July-August. 21% of total nights were spread across the winter period, between December and March.
Seasonal fluctuations by destination
Coasts and cities
The coastal regions are the destinations with the highest number of nights but also the most significant seasonal fluctuations: in August 2017, there were 15 times more nights in August, the busiest month, than in March, the least frequented month. Urban destinations show the lowest seasonal fluctuations.
Night distribution
Distribution of nights for personal travel in metropolitan France in 2017

Further reading

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