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Who comes to Languedoc?
The majority of visitors looking for holiday gites for rent in Languedoc are, as one would expect, French. In fact, they outnumber foreigners by 2 to 1. The Germans are the next biggest group - who tend to flock to the coastal areas to be near to the beaches. The British are next - but only just - with the Dutch just behind them. Languedoc has only recently become well-known in the UK (it has been a popular destination in Germany and Holland for longer), and we expect the numbers of UK tourists seeking holiday gites for rent in Languedoc to be growing relatively fast. New budget airline routes and recent coverage of Languedoc and its wines in the UK press is fuelling this growth (as well as programs on TV, such as Rick Stein's French Odyssey).
The French stay for longer however (maybe you should ramp-up your holiday gite rental marketing to French tourists?) - in fact about twice as long in terms of nights spent in Languedoc than foreign guests.
How is Tourism faring in Languedoc?
It's good news for owners of holiday gites for rent in Languedoc. Since the mid-nineties, tourism to Languedoc has boomed. Herault is said to be the favourite department in France to live, and Montpellier is said to be Europe's fastest-growing city. So Languedoc's reputation amongst the French has clearly received a huge boost of late. But much of this rise will also be foreign tourists, finally realising that it's not just Provence and the Cote d'Azure that offer gorgeous beaches, persistent sunshine, luxurious holiday gites for rent and plenty of interesting sightseeing attractions.
That said, tourism volumes dipped between 2001 and 2004, rising again in 2005. Preliminary reports suggest that the 2006 season started well, but ended badly, probably due to variable weather in late July and early August. So it's likely that bookings at holoday gites for rent in Langedoc also dipped.
How did the 2006 Summer Season fare?
(The chart above shows the number of tourist-related businesses who report their business activity to be up or down in any given month compared with a year earlier.)
The 2006 season started well in May - with more tourist-related businesses (gites, hotels, restaurants etc) reporting a rise in activity over the previous year. But things took a turn for the worse from June, recovering slightly in August and September. The heatwave and World Cup football were blamed for the poor performance of businesses this summer.
What does this mean for Languedoc's holiday gite owners?
The number of holiday gites for rent in Languedoc has been growing, along with increased visitor numbers. So potential clients have more choice than ever before. It's all because Languedoc as a destination has really taken off in the last few years, and still relatively low property prices have enabled all and sundry to buy up charming properties, which many then convert into holiday gites.
Which all means that you need to do something to make sure your holiday gite for rent in Languedoc stands out in a crowded marketplace. You’ve got to cover off the basics, but frankly you’re going to have to go the extra mile, too. Read our Hints on Setting Up a Languedoc Holiday Home to Rent and give yourself a head start over the competition.
But don't panic. The popularity of Languedoc amongst owners of holiday gites for rent is mirrored by its growing popularity as a holiday destination, and greater numbers of holiday makers are descending on the region every year. There's also a greater diversity of visitors, as RyanAir and other low-cost airlines open flights to Languedoc-Roussillon from all sorts of far-flung places, such as Portsmouth, Bristol and Aberdeen.
The market for holiday gites for rent in Languedoc is also very seasonal - so don't expect huge numbers of enquiries for your property between October and March (unless, of course, you're renting out a property in the centre of a large city, in which case you'll find renters all year round). So cut your prices drastically off-season, just to keep the property full and used.
Lastly, the type of holiday gite for rent in Languedoc that you own will have an impact on demand. A lot of Dutch and German owners buy new-build properties complete with pool and garden - and you'll find a lot of these on the holiday accommodation market. So older, more rustic holiday gites for rent (favoured by the British) are always a good buy, and tend to rent very well in Languedoc Roussillon.
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