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  • 60'
  • Authors : Corinne Langlois, Laura Spinosi
  • 13-09-2020
  • Master : 2974

SWEET FRANCE, DEAR LAND OF OUR VACATION: A CAMPSITE ON THE COTE D’AZUR | TF1 | Reportages

Throughout the summer, while France is gradually trying to get back to normal life after lockdown, our cameras follow the vacations of four families: in Brittany, Alsace, in the Basque country and, today, on the Cote d’Azur with the LHERNOUT family.

This vacation is one for grand reunions. After lockdown, the trend this summer is for vacations with the extended family. And in order to get together for a few weeks, many have chosen camping. On the Cote d’Azur, professionals were fearing a bleak scenario. The absence of foreign visitors created a weight of uncertainty, but the French have said a loud “yes” to tricolour vacations. Result: the level of occupancy is close to normal and the season has been salvaged. This summer, the Lhernoult family, from the Nord department has made room in their mobile home for Grandma and their great aunt. They’re heading for Roquebrune sur Argens in the Var, to a five-star camp site. This summer, Audrey, a nursery assistant, Thibaut, a maintenance engineer specializing in medical oxygen, and their two children, Gabin and Hugo, are going on vacation with Sandrine, Audrey’s aunt and Sylvia, her mother. “Covid has reminded us what is important in life: the family! This vacation is our reward for having closely observed the lockdown,” says Audrey happily. The three generations will put life with six to the test during three weeks in a 400 square foot mobile home! Audrey has planned an intense programme of activities, such as parasailing! It’s the chance to create some fresh memories together. How will these three generations cope with living together? And once they get there, will the family be able to take full advantage of their vacation and the attractions offered by the campsite? For the first time in its existence, this five-star camp site run by Sylvie and her family is under threat. Cancellations come thick and fast and anti-covid precautions are increasingly restrictive. They need to reassure holiday makers and do everything they can to help visitors have a good vacation despite everything. “Normally we sell dreams and pleasure. Now we also have to respect all the health regulations. It’s quite an experience!” explains Sylvie, the site owner. The season that looked bad finally takes a positive turn: There are plenty of people on the site and even some surprise guests! A hundred wild boar have decided to set up home on the vast estate and lots of guests are scared, so the owners need to act fast. On the camp site everybody knows Tony, the owner of its three restaurants. For nineteen years his business has thrived but the three months of lockdown have proved disastrous: a 50% drop in his turnover. Tony will need to fight hard through July and August to get business up again. This year, the foreign visitors won’t be here and they are the ones who spend the most. Tony has several avenues to boost his turnover: he’s going to branch out into take-away sales off the camp site and hold “the” open-air café event of the summer. “I check the accounts every day. This has never happened to me… if the customers don’t come to us, we will go to them,” is Tony’s enthusiastic response. Will these initiatives be enough to salvage his season?


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