Non-commercial accommodation
Beds not intended for general commercial use are non-commercial accommodation, for which there is no payment. This involves accommodation with family, friends or in a second home, which is particularly widespread in France (the number of second homes exceeds three million). Because it is informal in nature, this type of accommodation is the least shown in the statistics.
Non-commercial accommodation is estimated to be greater than commercial accommodation in France
Using polling on tourism demand (a declarative process under the French Directorate General for Enterprise and INSEE), INSEE estimates that there were 506 million overnight stays in non-commercial accommodation in France in 2019, three-quarters of which were spent with family or friends, and one quarter in a second home. In 2019, French residents were one-and-a-half times more likely to choose non-commercial accommodation than market accommodation when travelling for personal reasons. This trend was amplified in 2020 due to the pandemic: 62% of overnight stays in France were spent with friends, family or in a second home, compared to 59% in 2019 (Chassard and Vigneau, 2020).
In addition to encompassing accommodation with friends and family, the prevalence of non-commercial accommodation may also be accentuated by rentals undeclared for tax purposes (Violier et al., 2021).
Bibliography
- Chassard Mélanie et Vigneau Stéphane, 2022, «En 2020, des séjours touristiques principalement chez des proches ou en résidence secondaire», Insee Première. n°1893, février, en ligne.
- Violier Philippe, Duhamel Philippe, Gay Jean-Christophe et Mondou Véronique, 2021, Le tourisme en France 1, approche globale. Londres, ISTE Éditions, série «Tourisme et systèmes de mobilité», 273 p.