The supply in terms of beds in tourist residences is still much more abundant in the mountains and coastal areas than in urban and rural areas. 

The establishment of tourist residences in France has historically been determined by the will of public authorities to develop and reorganize certain areas based on leisure tourism. The creation of the status of tourist residences has enabled the development of coastal and mountain areas, particularly in resorts.

Mountain and Coastal areas represent two thirds of the beds in tourist residences in France. This may be explained by the large number of beds per apartment (4 beds on average per apartment). In fact, vaster apartments are intended for holidaymakers, traveling as a group or family, while urban residences generally offer apartments adapted to business stays and thus have a high share of studios.

The preponderant supply in the mountains and on coastlines is more visible when beds are classed by department. 

In 2017, in mountainous regions, the supply of beds was concentrated in the resorts where 220,000 represent 30% of the global supply. Only 4% of the global supply is in mountainous regions outside resorts. On the coastline, the bed supply represents 32% - 14% in coastal towns, 18% in rural coastal areas. Finally, 14% of the bed supply is in the countryside and 20% is in urban areas in the interior of the territory.

Unsurprisingly the departments in the mountains and in coastal areas lead in the ranking of the first 15 departments in terms of number of beds in tourist residences. In the departments offering the most beds in residences, we find the alpine departments (Savoie, Haute Savoie, Hautes-Alpes) and those on the Mediterranean (Var, Alpes-Maritimes, Hérault), historically the departments for France’s residence market.

Growth on the Atlantic Coast is down overall...