More People Head To Mountains This Summer to Keep Cool
3rd August 2022
Last modified on August 6th, 2022
More and more people in France are choosing the mountains for their holidays this summer as temperatures soar. That’s according to The National Association of Mountain Mayors. UPDATED
L’Association Nationale des Maires des Stations de Montagne, ANMSM, has said that it is expecting at least 48% occupancy in August.
The president of the Association and mayor of La Plagne, Jean-Luc Boch, told BFMTV: “We should even reach 50% easily.”
The Agence Savoie Mt Blanc said the occupancy rate was at 45% in July.
In June 2021 it was 37%.
Many people headed to mountain resorts in the Alps and the Pyrenees during pandemic travel restrictions and the resorts have been targeting these groups with some success.
The director of Gites de France in Savoie, Jean- Paul Tournier, says bookings have doubled recently with 85% of gites full and he expects it will be 95% in August.
One ski resort to have embraced summer in the mountains in recent years is Morzine in the Portes du Soleil.
“Morzine is having an incredibly good summer season. We have been busy since late June with events like the Pass’Portes du Soleil MTB, a Spartan Race, plus the Tour de France bringing huge numbers of visitors,” said Sara Burdon from the Morzine Tourist Office to PlanetSKI.
“This trend is continuing into August as families and outdoor lovers seek the cooler mountain temperatures – as well as the possibility to cool down in our lakes and rivers.
Image c/o Office de Tourisme de Morzine-Avoriaz
“We are already at an occupancy rate of 60% over the entire summer season, with some weeks close to 80%, and we expect this to rise a little further with last minute August and September bookings.
“Mountain resorts offer an incredible holiday option for families, with a huge range of activities from lazing on the lakeside beaches and lawns, to adrenaline activities such as canyoning or mountain biking.
“The lift system makes getting up the mountains for panoramic walks a lot less of a strain in the heat.”
Image c/o Office de Tourisme de Morzine-Avoriaz
Some parts of France are seeing temperatures over 40c again as another heatwave hits the nation.
The high temperatures on some of the beaches of the Mediterranean are encouraging people to head to altitude for some cooler temperatures.
There are also a few sandy beaches at altitude in the French Alps too if people need a summer beach fix.
Les2Alpes, France. Image © PlanetSKI
For an idea of what summer in the French mountains is like see this PlanetSKI report from Chamonix in France from a few years ago:
Chamonix in the summer. Image © PlanetSKI
Chamonix in the summer. Image © PlanetSKI
It is a similar situation elsewhere in the alpine regions with the Tirol in Austria reporting growing interest in summer in the mountains.
Summer in the Tirol. Image © PlanetSKI
Summer skiing and snowboarding is barely an option this year as the warm temperatures have taken their toll on the glaciers in the Alps.
There is now only one glacier ski resort in the Alps open to the general public, Hintertux in the Tirol.
Zermatt in Switzerland closed its glacier last week.
Related Stories:
- Mountain regions in France see summer tourism boost
- Heatwave takes its toll on mountains of Europe
- What does PlanetSKI do in the summer?
- Hiking the Hahnenkamm
Hiking the Hahnenkamm. Image © PlanetSKI
For more on the summer situation in France see this article in The Connexion France.
