• You ticked them off on January 1. This year 2023 was supposed to be ideal for the bridges of May, with 3 holiday Mondays and this Thursday of the ascent, enough to enjoy the beautiful days.
  • "The sunny days", at least in theory. Because this month of May is accompanied by a weather frankly not up to par on the southern coast: showers, wind and temperatures that call to stay at home.
  • Halfway through these public holidays, and in the middle of Ascension week, 20 Minutes went to Canet-en-Roussillon (Pyrénées-Orientales), which looks more like a ghost town than a seaside resort.

In Canet-en-Roussillon (Pyrénées-Orientales),

The blue of the Mediterranean stretches as far as the eye can see, with the Pyrenees as a backdrop to sublimate the whole. Add a proud 24 ° C to the thermometer and the roasted sand under an azure sky, it does not take much more to be happy. At Chill'Out Beach, one of the beach clubs in Canet-en-Roussillon (Pyrénées-Orientales), we do not want to quibble - not really the philosophy of the bar - but there is still something missing in this equation of happiness: customers.

The club rings hollow this afternoon, and the rows of empty deckchairs and deserted tables evoke more images of lockdown or a sunny zombie apocalypse than August. In defense of the absent, the tramontana, the local wind, rumbles in gusts to 80 km / h, snaps the shutters, shakes the trees and throws sand in your mouth every five seconds. The only family present, courageously lying on the deckchairs, ends up packing up after yet another gust.

"-80% of customers compared to last May"

Bad weather for tourism with such grumpy weather. "We are at -80% of customers compared to last May," laments Stéphane, the manager. This month of May, however, bore great promise. Three holiday Mondays, plus this Ascension Thursday, with a four-day bridge. But by the sea, there is an immutable rule: when the weather is not at the rendezvous, the tourist is not either. This is especially true in May, "when customers book less in advance and wait to see what the weather will be like to come - or not," says Jason, a restaurateur at the Ginger on the waterfront. Clearly, the "no" wins at the beginning of the season: "The benchmark is Sunday noon. Only about thirty covers last week, against a hundred on the usual Sundays in May. »


It's the whole site that sounds unusually deserted, and the seaside resort looks like a bad western with its ghost town looks. "The nearby glaciers haven't even opened, it would be too expensive and it's too cold with the wind for people to consume," says Jason. Same for the kids' beach club. We are protected from the wind and sand, but who will come that far with this weather? ». It is even possible to park in front of the beach, an operation normally impossible between May and September given the lot of cars. "It's a catastrophic start to the season," squeaks Stéphane, manager of Ô Pieds Nus. Same first name as at the other club, and same vision: empty tables, a deserted beach.

A scent of disappointment

However, May is not trivial around here. Count about 15% of annual revenue at Chill'Out Beach, compared to 20% in June and 30% for each of the two hits July and August, the rest being picked up in September. At Ginger, we even climbed to 21% of the 2022 figure in May, thanks to the weather. "In May, it's less families than couples or bands of friends. So they consume more. There are also fewer establishments open, so we attract more crowds, "analyzes the restaurateur.



Figures that corroborate those of the tourism sector of the Pyrénées-Orientales, confirms Brice Sannac, president of the Union of trades and industries of the hotel industry of the department: "May represents about 15% of the annual turnover of the sector. " As for hotels and campsites, booked a little upstream, the results are "pretty good, even if we do not jump to the ceiling". With such a favourable timetable, the overall figures - similar to last year's - smell of disappointment. The weather ruins what could have been the year of all records.

The southern coastline victim of the weather

And this weekend of Ascension that begins is not likely to change much. In this long bridge, it will float Saturday and Sunday, while it has not had to rain two consecutive days in the area for at least a year, historical drought obliges. Sunday rain is also announced on the entire southern coast, from Biarritz to Nice via Marseille. "The campgrounds will be full apparently," Jason tries to put things into perspective. But if it's ugly, people don't move from it. »


On the seafront, we finally meet a tourist who dared to set foot outside - you have to fill the fridge of the bungalow. "We knew that in January-February, it was too beautiful this full sun, and that there would be a socket this year. But here, anyway... ", regrets Julie, coming from Paris. The beach, the blue sky, the snow-topped Canigou, it always slams, even under the wind that is close to 100 per hour. But don't push either: "I haven't made any coffee outside and we don't set foot on the beach."

A good season in perspective anyway

Stéphane version Chill'Out Beach, he never drops his sunglasses or his optimism: May does not bode well for the coming months. "If the weather was very nice and we had no one, we would worry about July-August. But here, with this wind, it is simple logic. It is out of the question to see in this desertion the consequences of inflation, historic drought or a change of attitude among tourists. The manager admits all the same: "If the situation does not improve in June, we will have to make a point with the servers. "


If Jason does note a small change in spending among the few customers - "they take either the starter or the dessert, but rarely both". No need to panic either for the high season: "Even if there were fewer people, there will always be more tourists in summer than places open in Canet. So we'll be full of it." Ditto for Jean Serré, president of Canet-Tourisme: "The figures are lower than last year for this month of May. But in terms of bookings and forecasts for July-August, we are on the rise. That's the most important thing." In Canet, the sky is clear. All that remains is to chase away this damn wind.

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