SUMMARY
The economic study “Not Going on Vacation: Removing Financial and Social Barriers Without Significantly Increasing Public Spending” was published in May 2026 by the consulting firm Asterès, at the request of the Essentiem Endowment Fund.
The study quantifies the extent of the phenomenon of not going on vacation in France (39% of French people in 2025, the OMT threshold) and in Europe (48%), with a core group of 22% who structurally do not go on vacation. It details the regional disparities in this phenomenon: the East and North have the highest rates (47% and 43%), rural municipalities with fewer than 2,000 residents far exceed the Paris metropolitan area (49% versus 28%), and regional disparities correlate with average incomes.
👉 These aspects of social geography are of direct interest to stakeholders involved in regional attractiveness, particularly when assessing access to tourist amenities as a factor in quality of life and social cohesion.
The study also establishes a link between underutilized lodging capacity during the off-season (48% of beds vacant) and efforts to reduce seasonal economic fluctuations, drawing on international models (Imserso in Spain, INATEL in Portugal, and the mobilization of the private housing stock in Austria). Seven proposals are put forward, focusing on both stimulating demand (vacation bonuses, donated vacation days, youth passes) and activating existing supply (the open VACAF platform, second homes, regional public transportation at subsidized rates), without additional public spending.
Keywords:Tourismaccessibility, Paris metropolitan area, Austria, socio-professional category, ANCV vacation vouchers, unemployment, social and economic committees, rural municipalities, deseasonalization, regional disparities, Spain, social exclusion, vacant housing, Imserso, residential mobility, Northeast, non-take-up of benefits, Portugal, precariousness, vacation bonus, material deprivation, rural areas, seniors, TER, social tourism, regional transportation, VACAF, territorial zoning
Illustration: © Asterès
