The world leader in search engines dedicated to travel reveals the travel intentions of the French for the summer of 2023
If the weather is not yet quite helping to plan for summer, there are only a few weeks left before the start of the summer season and the departures for “long holidays”. Rise in searches for hotels and flights, desire to escape or “staycation”… as summer approaches, KAYAK.fr,
the world leader in search engines dedicated to travel, reveals trends in tourism.
THE “ revenge travel », THE trend of summer 2023
The French seem to want to go on vacation this summer, with an increase in searches for flights of around 46% and an increase in searches for hotels of around 59% compared to the same period in 2022 [1].
KAYAK.fr also notes that the desire to travel of the French extends to the whole world. Indeed, the list of the most popular destinations according to flight searches includes destinations in different regions of the world: North America, Europe, Asia and Africa. This may reflect the growing interest of the French in exploring a wide range of cultures and experiences, a trend that has come to be known as “ Revenge Travel – travelers make up for lost travel time during various lockdowns.
Distant destinations seem to be on the rise: despite the difficult economic situation, many French travelers seem to want to travel abroad and explore new destinations ; such as Tokyo, whose flight searches have tripled (around +256%), compared to the same period in 2022, or Bangkok (42e in the ranking of the most searched destinations according to flight searches) with an increase in flight searches of approximately 138%.
If searches increase, so do prices
Indeed, the comparator observes a general increase in the prices of flights, all destinations combined, with an average price increase of around 28%, but also hotels, with an increase of around 11%, compared to the summer. 2022.
To save money, and perhaps also – combining business with pleasure – to avoid crowds, travelers could avoid leaving in July, which seems to be the most expensive period from France according to the KAYAK.fr searches.
For those looking to save money, booking a trip in early June can make a big di.erence, with potential savings of up to 50 % on flights and up to 22 % on hotels.
KAYAK.fr’s advice for traveling peacefully this summer
Avoid Monday madness. Monday seems to be the busiest day for travel. Conversely, Wednesdays are the quietest days for travel. By keeping these trends in mind, travelers can plan ahead and possibly avoid the crowds and hassle of peak periods.
KAYAK.fr data also reveals that to date, the most expensive week for flights to all destinations is expected to be week 31 (July 31 to August 6) with prices around 47 % higher than the cheapest week, week 23 (June 5-11). If the flight is to a city in Europe or internationally, KAYAK.fr recommends taking off on a Thursday rather than a Saturday with di.erences ranging from 18 % difference, for Europe, and 8 % approximately for international.
As for hotels, all destinations combined, week 22 (May 29 to June 4) seems to be the cheapest and week 32 (August 7 to 13) is the most expensive, with a price di.erence of 22 % approximately. If the hotel is in Europe, it is rather advisable to book on a Wednesday instead of a Friday, because these days seem to be the most affordable, internationally, conversely, the di.erence is less, but it is possible to save on average a few euros by reserving a hotel night for a Friday evening instead of a Monday evening.
| Rank | destinations | Evolution in % of searches for flights between summer 2023 and summer 2022 | Average return flight prices in economy class for summer 2023 | Average change in % of the price of flights summer 2023 compared to summer 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia | +67 % | 1273 € | +39 % |
| 2 | Montreal, Quebec, Canada | +41 % | 619 € | +37 % |
| 3 | Bangkok, Thailand | +138 % | 983 € | +78 % |
| 4 | Palma de Mallorca, Balearic Islands, Spain | +55 % | 139 € | +16 % |
| 5 | New York, United States | +21 % | 608 € | +22 % |
| 6 | Marrakech, Morocco | +104 % | 244 € | +24 % |
| 7 | Lisbon, Portugal | +31 % | 147 € | 0 % |
| 8 | Saint-Denis, Reunion, France | +34 % | 1020 € | +29 % |
| 9 | Ajaccio, Corsica, France | +43 % | 206 € | +11 % |
| 10 | Tokyo, Japan | +256 % | 1223 € | +62 % |
KAYAK, part of BOOKING HOLDINGS Inc. (NASDAQ: BKNG), is the world’s leading travel search engine. With billions of queries across our various platforms, we help users find the right flight, accommodation or rental car for them. We also offer KAYAK Business, a completely free business travel solution for professionals, and we are transforming the travel experience with our app and new software for hotels and accommodations.
Notes to Editors
Travel Sustainable, a program launched by Booking.com, with more than 400,000 recognized accommodations worldwide, providing information on the sustainability efforts undertaken by a wide range of accommodations worldwide and offering travelers a way transparent, consistent and easy to understand to identify a wider range of more sustainable stays, wherever they want to travel.
