The surveys carried out since 2001, the year the national river tourism watchdog. Study on. private pleasure boating. Summary paper.

Transcription

1 direction du Développement thema The surveys carried out since 2001, the year the national river tourism watchdog RNOTF (Voies navigables de France Observation - Développement Ingénierie Tourisme-France) was set up, have provided much better information about professional pleasure boating activity. However, remains less well studied, despite representing a major component of river tourism (there were more than 20,000 boats registered in France 10 years ago). The RNOTF therefore decided to launch a study during 2007 in order to better identify all the private boaters sailing in France, to better understand their profile and their needs, in order to make an active contribution to the development of French river tourism. To this end, a questionnaire focusing on areas such as the identity of owners, their boats, their sailing habits, their favourite waterways and stopovers, was produced in collaboration with Association Nationale des Plaisanciers en Eaux Intérieures (ANPEI) [National Inland Waterways Boating Association]. This document was sent out to more than 14,000 French and foreign boaters who own their own boat and who sailed on French waterways in The survey was conducted by post from 15th October to 1st December 2007.

2 page 2 Key findings Use of the boat means of recreation (95%) main residence (5%) Sex of driver men (96%) Average age 56 years retired (41%), middle management (16%), Socio-professional category employee / worker (15%), professional / senior executive (14%) Nationality French (67%), German (12%), Dutch (6%) Age of the boat 24 years Period of ownership of the boat 6 years Average number of berths 6 berths including 4 beds Registration maritime (58%), river (40%) Habitable Yes (63%) Average size of the boat 9 m long, 3 m wide, 27 m 2 floor space Mean engine power 81 kw (60 hp) Average number of years of sailing 13 years Average sailing duration 56 days per year Navigation abroad No (56%) Most popular activities at stopovers 1. site visits, 2. total relaxation, 3. restaurants Average number of people on board 2.7 adults and 0.7 child Most popular waterways 1. Saône, 2. Seine, 3. Rhône, 4. Marne, 5. Oise Average length of stopover 5.3 nights Services in France satisfactory signs, shops and services Services in France unsatisfactory fuelling Average budget per day 39 Average budget per year 2,170 Estimate of total tourist-related consumption on the VNF network 31 million The full report is on sale from ODIT France via the website in hard copy or electronic version in PDF format (only on french version ).

3 page 3 Study results Knowing you better The age brackets This average pleasure age (56 years) seems to be aging slightly if the current study is compared to the one conducted in The average age of French boaters is well below that of German and Dutch boaters. The socio-professional category of the driver (SPC) 41% 16% 15% 14% Retirees Middle management, supervisor Employees, workman Professionals, senior executives Business owners, traders, company manager Without professionnal activity The dominant SPC, retirees, represents 41% of boaters against 44% in The biggest increase relates to the «Middle management, supervisor» SPC (16% in 2007 against 11% in 2001). Overall, the wealthier SPC (business owners, traders, company managers, professionals, senior executives and farmers) were less well represented in 2007 (25%) than in 2001 (27%). 1% 2% 11% Farmers The nationality of the boater 12% 6% 5% 3% 2% 3% French German Dutch English The French clientele is in a distinct majority on French territory (67%). There is nevertheless an increase in the proportion of foreigners (33% against 27% in 2001). Belgian 67% Swiss Other (danish, swedish, american, luxembourg...)

4 page 4 Your boat Pleasure boaters have owned their boat for an average of 6 years. Between 2001 and 2007, there is a larger share of boats purchased less than one year previously (16% in 2001 to 22% in 2007). This reflects a significant enthusiasm for pleasure boating. The average capacity of boats is 6 people, with 4 actual berths. 63% of boats are habitable and 55% are operated under French flags. Out of the whole fleet, 58% of the boats have maritime registrations. The size of the boat 33% 25% 22% I (moins Less than de m2) m 2 II (de From à 25 to m2) 25 m 2 III (de From à 40 to 40 m2) m 2 IV From (de à to m2) m 2 V (plus More de than m2) m 2 The fleet of private boats is very diverse, with an average size considerably lower than in % 13% Wintering sites The most popular wintering sites are ports, followed by dry dock. Looking more closely, a significant number of boaters winter their boat in their city of residence (36%). port Port cale Dry sèche dock 31% 14% 9% 81% 16% 3% TERRAIN-DOMICILE-GARAGE Ground-residence-garage BERGE-QUAI-PONTON Bank-quay-pontoons DIVERS other hangar Hangar autre Other 46%

5 page 5 Navigation and you Years of sailing by duration category and by nationality There is an average of 14 years of sailing on inland waterways. The Germans and Dutch have many more years of practice of inland waterways than French boaters. Origin and practice of sailing 48% of boaters first started out with river sailing. These results are broadly the same between French and foreign boaters. 40% started with maritime sailing before moving onto the rivers. The rest of the boaters are former rental customers. Number of days of sailing by category The average duration of sailing is estimated at 56 days a year with 44 days for French boaters, 61 for German boaters and 100 for Dutch boaters. Sailing period Holiday sailing is no longer at the top of the list, having been overtaken by weekend excursions which are the most frequent (82%). This change can be explained by the 35 hour working week, which has led to an increase in short break, near to home tourism. Boaters leave for shorter periods, but more often during the year. Midweek excursions are also common (55% against 40% in 2001), which tends to mean that sailing is carried out across almost the whole year. The summer is still the most popular period for sailing (96%). Boaters over 55 years old are those who most often go out during the week. 44% of boaters sail abroad and 71% of the French are sedentary. 100% 100% 96% 84% 80% 82% 50% 66% 50% 55% 0% 11% Printemps Eté Automne Hiver Spring Summer Autumn Winter 0% Vacances Week end Semaine Holidays Week end Week

6 page 6 Your stops Mooring sites most popular during stopovers 61% of boaters choose to moor in a marina or river stopover sites. Activities enjoyed during stopovers River tourism is usually associated with relaxation and calm, which explains why the predominant activities are walking, relaxation and food. Out of the list of 10 proposed activities, boaters chose 5 on average. Sporting activities: Cultural activities: Others: Nautical Loisirs leisures nautiques 34% Visits Visites of de sites 74% Restaurant Restauration 71% Bicycle Vélo With foot A pied 47% 62% Discovered of the Découverte craft industry de l'artisanat 32% Shopping Shopping 46% Other Autres 11% Museums, spectacles Musées, spectacles 33% Relaxation Détente 72% Map of the waterways and the major city stops The duration of stopovers is on average 5.3 nights. The French usually stay longer at a stopover than foreign boaters. (3.9 days for German boaters and 4.2 days for Dutch boaters) Paris Nancy Saint-Jean-de-Losne Lyon

7 page 7 Your holidays in 2007 Composition of the group on board The average number of adults is estimated at 2.7 adults with 0.7 child. There are on average 2 times as many French boaters on board than the Dutch. (2.2 adults for 0.2 child). Half sail as a couple, the rest being shared between families and friends. Level of satisfaction with regard to services in France On average, 60% of those surveyed said that service levels in France are satisfactory or very satisfactory. Navigation signage, shops and amenities are the services with the most positive opinions. By contrast, toilet and even more son fuelling facilities are clearly seen as unsatisfactory. Très Very satisfaisant satisfactory Satisfaisant Satisfactory Peu Not satisfaisant satisfactory Pas Att du all unsatisfactory tout satisfaisant Ne Does sait not pas know Point Site of d'amarrage mooring 15% 55% 21% 7% 2% Water Eau 14% 50% 19% 6% 10% Electricité Electricity 11% 43% 23% 8% 14% Sanitaires Toilet Collectes de déchets Collect waste Avitaillement carburant Fueling facilities Signalisation navigant 7% 11% 2% 16% 16% 30% 31% 49% 60% 32% 21% 41% 15% 9% 16% 15% 10% 9% 4% 4% Navigation signage Commerces et services 16% 60% 16% 4% 4% Informations Shops and touristiques amenities 15% 51% 19% 6% 8% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

8 page 8 Your budget Estimation of the budget per item 40% 5% 7% 24% 7% 10% 7% Alimentation Food Dépenses Marinas fees portuaires Autres Other Loisirs Leisures Bar, café, coffee, glacier ice creams,... Restaurants Visites Cultural culturelles visits The first item of expenditure is food followed by marina fees. In other expenses (10%), fuel costs are dominant and represent the same percentage as in the 2001 study. In the same study, spending on food accounted for only 23%, giving a higher proportion of spending on restaurants, bars, coffee, and ice creams of 25% against 14% currently. Cultural visits account for negligible expenses. Estimated total budget Estimated average annual budget Estimated daily budget Average 2, Average French 1, Average German 2, Average Dutch 3, The average budget is estimated to be 39 per day ( 11 per day and per person) for expenditure during trips. More than 3000 of the total budget is devoted to the stays and the boat (excluding the cost of purchasing the boat). 60% of boaters spend more than 1,000 per year for their boat. It is estimated that 31 million of total tourist-related consumption is generated on the VNF network (for vessels subject to tolls).

9 page 9 French data sheet Sets out the profile of French nationality boaters sailing on the French network. Results of the sheet Results of the study Average age 53 years 56 years Socio-professional category Retired (35%), middle management (20%) Retired (41%), senior management (16%) Period of ownership of the boat 5 years 6 years Average number of berths 6 berths including 2 beds 6 berths including 4 beds Habitable Yes (51%) Yes (63%) Average size of the boat 8 m long, 2 m wide 9 m long, 3 m wide Average number of years of sailing 11 years 13 years Average sailing duration 44 days per year 56 days per year Navigation abroad No (61%) No (56%) Average number of people on board 2.9 adults and 1 child 2.7 adults and 0.7 child Average budget per day Average budget per year 1,460 2,170

10 page10 German data sheet Sets out the profile of German nationality boaters sailing on the French network. Results of the sheet Results of the study Average age 60 years 56 years Socio-professional category Retired (43%), Liberal (19%) Retired (41%), senior management (16%) Period of ownership of the boat 9 years 6 years Average number of berths 6 berths including 3 beds 6 berths including 4 beds Habitable Yes (83%) Yes (63%) Average size of the boat 9 m long, 3 m wide 9 m long, 3 m wide Average number of years of sailing 20 years 13 years Average sailing duration 61 days per year 56 days per year Navigation abroad Yes (62%) No (56%) Average number of people on board 2.4 adults and 0.3 child 2.7 adults and 0.7 child Average budget per day Average budget per year 2,780 2,170

11 page11 Dutch data sheet Sets out the profile of Dutch nationality boaters sailing on the French network. Results of the sheet Results of the study Average age 62 years 56 years Socio-professional category Retired (63%), Liberal (15%) Retired (41%), senior management (16%) Period of ownership of the boat 11 years 6 years Average number of berths 7 berths including 4 beds 6 berths including 4 beds Habitable Yes (84%) Yes (63%) Average size of the boat 12 m long, 4 m wide 9 m long, 3 m wide Average number of years of sailing 28 years 13 years Average sailing duration 100 days per year 56 days per year Navigation abroad Yes (81%) No (56%) Average number of people on board 2.2 adults and 0.2 child 2.7 adults and 0.7 child Average budget per day Average budget per year 3,270 2,170

12 division Tourisme - services aux usagers 175, rue Ludovic Boutleux, boîte postale Béthune cedex téléphone télécopie mars 2009