Sofinscope – Nearly 2/3 of French people will choose to stay in France for their holidays this summer.
Despite a gloomy economic climate, the French are reaffirming their attachment to summer holidays. 64% say they intendto travel this summer (+9 points compared to 2025). However, the choice of destination is influenced by the geopoliticalcontext, particularly its impact on travel costs. Thus, nearly two-thirds of French people planning to travel will favor stayingwithin France in response to international conflicts.
Key figures
Despite a constrained context, the French are reconnecting with holiday plans: 64% of them intend to go away this summer, a significant increase of +9 points compared to 2025.
61% of French people say they prefer to go on holiday in France because of the current geopolitical climate. Furthermore, with the recent rise in fuel prices, 40% of French people who will be travelling by car plan to travel shorter distances than originally planned.
After several years of shorter holidays, the French are tending to lengthen their vacations. One-week stays are declining (35%, -5 points), while two-week stays are increasing (35%, +2 points), as are those of three weeks or more (22%, +3 points).
The desire to go on holiday clashes with a rather difficult economic reality. For a large majority of French people (73%), going on holiday represents a significant financial effort.
This financial effort goes hand in hand with an increase in the average budget planned per household for holidays this summer. It stands at €1,686 (+€88 compared to 2025), the highest budget observed by the Sofinscope barometer since 2012.
For the 36% of French people who will not go away this summer, the obstacle is mainly financial: nearly two-thirds of them say they simply cannot afford it (64%).
Faced with budgetary pressure, the French are adapting to manage to leave.
Planning is therefore becoming second nature. 57% book as early as possible to get the best rates, and 81% systematically compare prices before booking. To ease the financial burden, 28% of French people use payment plans, a practice that has increased significantly by 9 percentage points.
Managing expenses on site follows the same logic of rigor. 68% of French people now plan a strict budget for their expenses at their destination (+8 points).
24% of French people now use AI to prepare their trip, a level now comparable to that of social networks (22%).
While younger people remain more influenced by the algorithms of Instagram and TikTok (64% vs 53% for ChatGPT , Claude or Gemini), a shift occurs from the age of 25: 50% of 25-34 year olds say they are influenced by AI when choosing their holidays, 46% by social networks.
The economic and geopolitical context will favor French tourism in the coming months. Through the financial efforts they are willing to make and the strategies they develop to prepare their holidays, the French are demonstrating the importance they place on these few days or weeks of relaxation. To support them and help them smooth out their spending, providing payment and financing solutions can be a way for tourism operators to stand out.
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About Sofinscope
Sofinscope is the barometer of Sofinco, a commercial brand of Crédit Agricole Personal Finance & Mobility in France. Designed to survey French people about their consumption habits and to better understand them, this barometer, which is part of the daily lives of the French, is carried out by OpinionWay for Sofinco, using representative samples of the French population.
This study was conducted with a sample of 1,029 people, representative of the French population aged 18 and over. The sample was constructed using the quota method, based on the criteria of gender, age, socio-professional category, size of urban area, and region of residence. The interviews were conducted from March 18 to 19, 2026, via a self-administered online questionnaire using a CAWI (Computer Assisted Web Interview) system.
All results are available online on the Sofinscope website : the barometer that gives you a head start on consumption
About Sofinco
In France, Sofinco is the commercial brand of Crédit Agricole Personal Finance & Mobility . A specialist in personal finance, it has been supporting the French in their transition to more responsible consumption for over 70 years through a wide range of financing solutions and related services offered directly or through its partners ( major retailers, specialty stores, and institutional investors) . It also assists the French with their home energy renovation projects or with adapting their homes for aging in place.
For more information: www.sofinco.fr