Tourism in Gironde: stable attendance but lower spending, summer 2025 is mixed for professionals

As the summer season has just ended, tourism professionals in Gironde are satisfied with attendance roughly similar to that of 2024, while pointing out a flagrant lack of purchasing power among the French, which is having an impact on leisure activities and restaurants.

They don't know where to stand. While the summer season has just ended, tourism professionals in Gironde don't seem particularly optimistic about the off-season that has just begun.

It must be said that the Gironde – and national – results of the peak tourist season are mixed, to say the least. Despite attendance similar to that of the 2024 season, most retailers are looking grim. Within the Bordeaux metropolitan area, where four million tourists come to walk its streets each year, attendance fell by only 4% and overnight stays in the market fell by 2.6% in the first half of 2025. It is mainly leisure activities that have suffered a sharp drop (7%), and Bordeaux's cultural venues have seen a 12% drop in the number of admissions.

“We are especially affected, like everyone else, by the current anxiety-provoking context.”

"For Bordeaux, many factors must be taken into account, such as the closure of the Aquitaine Museum for renovations for four months of the year, but we are especially affected, like everyone else, by the current anxiety-inducing context. Tourism is a bit of a reflection of our society...", tries to explain Brigitte Bloch, president of the Bordeaux Métropole tourist and convention office.

"We must also not forget the tram works, which affected the traders on the quays and which had repercussions on other professionals in the city center," points out Bruno Tripon, president of the trade commission at the Bordeaux-Gironde Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI).

Beyond leisure activities, the restaurant sector is suffering. "We're hearing about losses of 15 to 20% in turnover compared to last year," worries Franck Chaumès, president of the Gironde Union of Hotel Trades and Industries (UMIH 33).

Everyone agrees that the attractiveness of the department is not the concern of this gloomy season, but rather the political and economic contexts that the country is going through.

"People are still here, but they're careful with their wallets. So they only go to a restaurant once during their stay and prefer to eat in their rental, or on the go. I've never seen so many people picnicking this season as this summer. The shortfall comes from a lack of purchasing power," he explains.

The same story is true for campsites: "We had the first three weeks of August full, but it's impossible to make up for a totally catastrophic July," says Lionel Pujade, president of the Gironde outdoor hotel industry union (SDHPA 33), who also owns the four-star Ker Helen campsite in Le Teich.

"The length of stays has decreased. No more 15-day rentals; people no longer have 1,500 euros to put into them; the French are falling back on week-long vacations or simple long weekends for those in tents."

"The days of 15-day rentals are over, people no longer have 1,500 euros to put into them."

For the months of September and October, the last months before the annual closure of most campsites, "we're still feeling our way," but they are "never to be neglected" since the seasonal wings (including April-May) still represent around 20% of their turnover. "It's quite difficult to quantify it on the spot, since unlike August, we're more in the immediate future. People book very little in advance, if at all. They arrive directly knowing that the campsite won't be full."

So, professionals are hoping for a boost in September, without really believing it. Generally speaking, the profiles of September and October vacationers are quite varied. In addition to the Germans and the Dutch, who have staggered vacations, there are young families with children too young to go to daycare, young couples, and retirees, still enjoying the remnants of summer without the August tourist frenzy.

"Retirees normally have greater purchasing power, but are currently targeted by budgetary measures, so they prefer to save rather than open their wallets," notes Franck Chaumès. Also worth noting is the strong influence of the weather on seasonal wing trends.

"In Gironde, we're lucky enough not to be far from the coast, so we can really have a nice month if the weather is with us," the president of UMIH 33 tries to believe. "But even if it were 30 degrees all month, we won't make up for the season if people don't have the means."