Like their neighbours on the Atlantic coast, from Brittany to the Aquitaine, the majority of the hoteliers in the Western Loire Region are satisfied with their situation in 2004. The cumulated progress of the RevPAR over the first 8 months of the year reached 9.5% over the same period the previous year. It must be said that the number-five destination region for French nationals’ holidays (2nd for short stays) is not short on worthy arguments for tourism there. Thalassotherapy at La Baule, the beaches and islands in Vendée, Puy du Fou, the châteaux of the Loire... The Loire Region alone concentrates 500 places to visit, 56 of which brought in over 30,000 paid entries last year. The star attraction remains the Grand Parc du Puy du Fou (720,000 paid entries in 2003) with its famous Cinéscénie (320,000 entries). While the Leisure segment constitutes a non-negligible share of clientele, Business is also strong: in the last 12 months the occupancy rate of hotels is up by 0.8 points to 67.4%.This fear of going over the maximum price threshold, which makes consumers run away, is a feeling shared by many hoteliers in the region. According to Vincent Merel, the director at the hotel Campanile Saint Nazaire Trignac, “it would be difficult for us to go higher than the rates we’ve been applying in the last months.”“For leisure, the reduced work week has led the French to prefer to spread out their holidays over the year for a change of scenery, rather than take all four weeks back to back,” as observed at the Balladins hotel at La Roche sur Yon. The region’s geographic location relatively close to Paris, together with the presence of motorway service, make it a fine example of the impact of the changes in tourism behaviour in recent years...