Lost In France

[right_freds_dead]

im here in france for a short hol. asking around the local trades people and retailers, cafe's etc its DIRE. lots looking and some eating but no one buying say the shopkeepers. the french holiday makers are being skimpy on spending, the english the same. every single trader ive spoken to is taken aback. thats taken aback - not just concerned. some say they have been in business 10 years and this is the worst. they also say it is very sudden to them. as in this season. in the park where i am i am told it is usually 3 times as busy. its a ghost town. the bar is dead. he says its bad, i said it that normal for may - no and he shrugs. very bad.

i also heard from a booking agent that rents out holiday homes that they are well down on bookings. more than half on the park are empty, some havent even bothered to de-winterize them and there are rows and rows of closed chalets with the chipboard still in the window and the garden furniture inside. never been opened so far this year. and thats by the row. the weather is hot and the prices as usual, but there is an air of concern...

looks like i picked the wrong day to give up moules.

[Deckard]

SNIP

prices as usual

SNIP

and therein lies the problem...

add to that the impact of a strong Euro for UK tourists and ther's very little to be surprised about...

[thecrashingisles]

Things do look bad... I'm holding out for a hero.

[mattyfc]

Not a real surprise. The euro is so strong it makes sense for Europeans / Brits to holiday outside of the eurozone and get much better value for money. Conversley I live in Central London and I have never seen so many European tourists. I barely heard a word of English whilst out and about over the weekend.

[right_freds_dead]

and therein lies the problem...

add to that the impact of a strong Euro for UK tourists and ther's very little to be surprised about...

i dont buy that argument. its been tossed around here also. but even before that glorious exchange rate people came here for the weather, and the french just came here anyway. the english have always come here even in franc days.

its not a currency exchange issue.

its a reluctance to spend.

even when they are here they are not spending. thats BOTH english and french. and besides, its still far cheaper to come here than spend 2 weeks in cornwall. at a campsite i went to in cornwall they even charge 50p per night for the dog !!. the noight for 2 people 2 dogs and a tent was £46, and you get the weather. im fried to a crisp. its been very hot. but still no ones buying the main street vendor tat like clothing and beach goods. just half quiet cafes which last year you could not walk through the throngs of mostly french people, and it is they who are not spending, not just the british that seems to be concerning the traders here.

[right_freds_dead]

Not a real surprise. The euro is so strong it makes sense for Europeans / Brits to holiday outside of the eurozone and get much better value for money. Conversley I live in Central London and I have never seen so many European tourists. I barely heard a word of English whilst out and about over the weekend.

but its COLD. wheres the holiday trespassing around some rain/wind swept bitter little beach.?

[Guest X-QUORK]

We'll be spending 10 days in the Dordogne in July, house-sitting a place we could never afford to rent. We're a bit concerned about food and booze prices, but not enough to refuse the kind offer we had. I'm sure the en vrac local wines will still be reasonably priced compared to the UK.

[drrayjo]

been in business 10 years and this is the worst.

I would imagine there have been few 10 year periods anywhere more easy to conduct business in.

If anyone's still saying that 10 years from now, that will be something..

[Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz]

I went to a campsite in South West Wales and they charged you to do the washing up - that was in St Davids. "Oh, you're doing your own washing up sir - that'll be £2.50 please" Yes, going to Europe can be much much less expensive. Seem to be large numbers of campers where I am in West Wales - but people are really holding back on their spending.

Edited May 26, 2009 by gruffydd

[right_freds_dead]

We'll be spending 10 days in the Dordogne in July, house-sitting a place we could never afford to rent. We're a bit concerned about food and booze prices, but not enough to refuse the kind offer we had. I'm sure the en vrac local wines will still be reasonably priced compared to the UK.

i wouldnt worry. local prices are still reasonable. were not feeling the pinch really on shopping, though we have cut our bar spend. its till cheaper and hot and actually feels like a holiday.

I would imagine there have been few 10 year periods anywhere more easy to conduct business in.

If anyone's still saying that 10 years from now, that will be something..

thats full on true. you need to be aged mid 90s to remember things this bad.

I went to a campsite and they charged you to do the washing up - that was in St Davids.

lol. typical. charging 50p per dog ended by uk holidays. that just takes the piss being charged for washing up.

then you have.......the british drunks....

[ydbc]

We live in France and just don't recognise the description of the first post in this thread.

There are certainly some signs of slow down and the cheaper supermarket chains appear to have more customers, judging by their car parks, than a year ago, but three separate friends of ours, all with gites, have noticed no fall in their summer bookings - one saying that his is some 20% up on last year.

I guess there will be pockets where things are down, especially where Brits would normally holiday, given the fall in the purchasing power of the pound in the last twelve months. Indeed, estate agents in Dordogne, a favourite place for Brits to buy property, confirm that their sales, particularly at the higher end are significantly down.

[Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz]

If I was really feeling the pinch but wanted to go somewhere hot in Europe, I'd probably think about Turkey or Bulgaria. SW France always takes some beating though!

[right_freds_dead]

on another note. the site has its uk ex pat nimby's, who for a while i was getting along with as they rate the uk pension theft pretty bad currency etc, but then after a few days you realise they are also mostly racists too.

seems to go with the territory to leave your country and blame it on blacks coming in claiming huge benefits.

its daily express all round...

[Guest X-QUORK]

We live in France and just don't recognise the description of the first post in this thread.

Whereabouts are you RFD?

[Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz]

on another note. the site has its uk ex pat nimby's, who for a while i was getting along with as they rate the uk pension theft pretty bad currency etc, but then after a few days you realise they are also mostly racists too.

seems to go with the territory to leave your country and blame it on blacks coming in claiming huge benefits.

its daily express all round...

Try rural Wales - full of 'white flight' loonies.

[right_freds_dead]

We live in France and just don't recognise the description of the first post in this thread.

There are certainly some signs of slow down and the cheaper supermarket chains appear to have more customers, judging by their car parks, than a year ago, but three separate friends of ours, all with gites, have noticed no fall in their summer bookings - one saying that his is some 20% up on last year.

I guess there will be pockets where things are down, especially where Brits would normally holiday, given the fall in the purchasing power of the pound in the last twelve months. Indeed, estate agents in Dordogne, a favourite place for Brits to buy property, confirm that their sales, particularly at the higher end are significantly down.

possibly pockets. matthews holidays are taking a huge beating. there a big chalet holiday chain. the supermarket rise is possibly due to people not eating out as much or bar hopping. were not. we are cooking our own too.

you can claim to hear what you want, but im the only one here at the bar and im next to the park entry barrier and its not opened once in 2 hours. no ones coming, no ones going. nothing. im the only one at the bar !!!

and there are rows of boarded up holiday homes.

[mattyfc]

i dont buy that argument. its been tossed around here also. but even before that glorious exchange rate people came here for the weather, and the french just came here anyway. the english have always come here even in franc days.

its not a currency exchange issue.

its a reluctance to spend.

even when they are here they are not spending. thats BOTH english and french. and besides, its still far cheaper to come here than spend 2 weeks in cornwall. at a campsite i went to in cornwall they even charge 50p per night for the dog !!. the noight for 2 people 2 dogs and a tent was £46, and you get the weather. im fried to a crisp. its been very hot. but still no ones buying the main street vendor tat like clothing and beach goods. just half quiet cafes which last year you could not walk through the throngs of mostly french people, and it is they who are not spending, not just the british that seems to be concerning the traders here.

Yes UK seaside resorts are a rip off. I have been on a UK holiday recently and the prices were pretty ridiculous. It is because people are reluctant to spend that they are looking for cheaper holidays. The main beneficiary of this will be the Turks, Northern Cyprus, Croatia, North Africa and anywhere else that has a lot of sunshine not to far from Europe and has a low cost of living.

From a European's perspective London is now 30-40% cheaper than it was 2-3 years ago, whilst still not cheap that is a pretty large reduction.

[right_freds_dead]

Whereabouts are you RFD?

vendee coast. noirmoutier.

[ParticleMan]

im the only one at the bar !!!

and there are rows of boarded up holiday homes.

"Pics or it didn't happen"

(just joshing but a few snaps of j'etais tout seul will suit this site's mode to a T)

Edited May 26, 2009 by ParticleMan

[right_freds_dead]

"Pics or it didn't happen"

(just joshing but a few snaps of j'etais tout seul will suit this site's mode to a T)

das pics

[ParticleMan]

das pics

Merci.

Nice weather, indeed.

[right_freds_dead]

Merci.

Nice weather, indeed.

yes. its been very hot here.

[Executive Sadman]

They should strike.

[Deckard]

They should strike.

[Alba]

You say "the french holiday makers are being skimpy on spending", this is not really the French holiday season yet.

The lack of demand is probably more a reflection of what is happening in the UK.

The bulk of the French holiday in France, so that will not change matters.

Apart from the detrimental exchange rate, France is boring after a few visits. Everything is set in stone, ie their menus, facilities etc. The French still live in the past, with poor service and manners. Service is often akin to the old Soviet Bloc!

Other than better weather and a change of scenery, there is not much to commend it. They have to up their game, but the French will moan about a loss of foreign tourists, rather than change.