Nearly all of our friends, now retired, who previously voted conservative now would not do so.
Arenāt the rules all the same in the Schengen area Tim? If so, like the Tories guff about negotiating side trade deals with EU members, itās never going to happen.
Thatās the point I was making, Iāve not seen anything that points to the contrary so it would interesting to see where Gordon got his info from.
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4.6 years of State Pension at say Ā£150 a week losing 12% through average exchange rate fall since June 2016 = Ā£4300 lost per retiree.
Not sure how realistic a comparison that is as if you decide to live in a different currency area to that of your income there is always a depreciation riskā¦and of course the chance of gain!
So why shouldnāt what France does be up to it as well? If they have the power and they want to encourage tourism then why not put the suggestion to the authorities?
It is true that the UK makes up a good chunk of the French tourist market, about 10% of the 90million visitors I believe. However I wonder what proportion of them stay more than 90 days?
Iām sure the tourist industry know the market and are able to develop their own strategies, and Covid has also put a huge emphasis on the internal EU market. I imagine that will be the priority for next years.
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As has become clear from the benefits of the Withdrawal Agreement, EU law allows citizens to live in any country of the Union SO LONG AS they meet one of 4 specified conditions. One is having a job, one is being a student and one is having the means to support yourself without claiming benefits (e.g. a pension). I canāt remember the fourth one but NO, FoM is not a Carte Blanche right to live where you like.
Never has been, and French has been the most generous country up to now.
Exactly.
The most profitable tourists are the ones who stay in top end accommodation, dine out every evening, maybe hire a car, spend every day visiting tourist attractions and taking part in visitor activities, and buy expensive souvenirs to take home.
Nobody does that for 90+ days non stop.
A person who visits their own holiday home, eats in, spends their time gardening and sitting beside their own pool, does not contribute significantly to the tourist economy.
Long stay visitor visas are not really about promoting tourism, they are more about cultural exchange and personal projects.
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Maybe. But also, they may need someone to mow the lawn / tidy the garden through the months they are not here. They may need their swimming pool maintained/cleaned. There are often ongoing repairs to be done. Round here, they tend to go to the night markets every week and eat out / drink more often than those of us who live here full-time.
Seems to me that long stay summer visitors still think of themselves as āon holidayā to some extent.
As Sue says - they contribute to the economy in other ways. Not to mention contributing via TdH and TdF, utilities costs etc.
I reckon my minimum āspendā is 3.5kā¬ pa even if not visiting (thanks to the evil twins of Brexit & Covid), more like 6-8kā¬ in an average year.
I did not say they do not contribute to the economy. I said they do not contribute to the tourist economy. Point being that if you want to make a case for allowing six months visa free, talking about benefit to the tourist industry is not the best argument to use.
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On that point I am tempted to agree, it probably boils down to how hard it winds up being to get a long stay tourist visa each year.
I think the point of the petition is to suggest that by being the first country to reciprocate the six months offered to French tourists visiting Britain, France would position itself as the most tourist-friendly EU nation to Brits - regardless of how long they plan to stay. Bit like offering a 10-year warranty on a car; youād probably have changed it long before then, but youād still be more inclined to buy it than one with a two year warranty.
A high end tourist spends that in a week! The Ritz in Paris is 1000ā¬ a nightā¦
I really donāt think that offering 6 month stays would position France as the most tourist friendly place, there are other obstacles to tackle first.
However most ātourists do not spend their holidays in 1000ā¬ a night hotels (and those that do, probably have other ways around the rules).
Average costs are obviously not as high, but still significantā¦
āA vacation to France for one week usually costs around ā¬1,273 for one person . So, a trip to France for two people costs around ā¬2,546 for one week . A trip for two weeks for two people costs ā¬5,092 in France.ā
@JJones Blimey Jane! I hope my gite guests never see these figures. Theyād never come!
What I think the second homers do for the local economy in Lot-et-Garonne is to extend the tourist season and make it worthwhile for shops, restaurants, bars, etc to stay open beyond just July and August (which is essentially when the French are here).
A couple in our local village with a second home in previous years would come out at Easter time and not go back until the end of September. They certainly spent more in the local tourist economy than any of our gite guests who seem to live on pizzas and barbeques and play games and watch our DVDs in the evenings - very evident that they come with no spare money.
Kind of related to this subject:
UK refused deal on post-Brexit travel for musicians, says Barnier ā POLITICO
Our biggest rental costs around 3000 euros per week in high season so guests tend to weld themselves to the house for the whole of their stay, depending on the nationality they often bring their own food as well so thereās very little money going into the local economy.
Holiday home owners can be the complete opposite because theyāre often here when the tourists arenāt so they shop locally all the time.
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