Assetz^® News » HOME | FEED | LIST ALL ARTICLES | ASSETZ HOMEPAGE

Assetz^® Property News Service

French travel boom led by Eurostar

---

Eurostar has unveiled record passenger figures for 2006, data that is set to be welcomed by property investors with homes for rent and sale in France.

The increasing popularity of Eurostar services is indicative of the status of the country among holidaymakers both in Britain and abroad

Some 7.85 million customers opted for Eurostar trains last year, a 5.4 per cent improvement on 2005.

Leisure passenger numbers were up 4.5 per cent while business customers flocked to the service with a 17 per cent improvement on 2005.

Eurostar carried 28 per cent more passengers in 2006 than in the 12 months prior to the opening of the first high speed section of track in the UK in September 2003.

The opening of the new St Pancras terminus and further high speed sections of line towards the end of this year are set to bring fastest journey times from London to Paris down by 20 minutes to two hours and 15 minutes; a move that is expected to entice even more holidaymakers to France.

The figures are great news for investors with property in the country, as increasing numbers of visitors can be expected to head to France looking for places to rent.

Furthermore, southern based Brits hoping to enter in to the French property game have the option of visiting potential sites on a regular basis without the need for long waits at airports.

Richard Brown, Eurostar's chief executive, remarked: "I am delighted at the strong growth in the number of business travellers, who are discovering the punctuality and productivity advantages that Eurostar offers compared with the experience of flying.

"Many more travellers are being attracted by the environmental benefits of using high-speed rail instead of short-haul air."

He added that increasing numbers of passengers are opting for the service beyond the core countries of France, the UK and Belgium; evidence of the growing popularity of the service and of France as a tourist destination.

"We are making good progress in attracting more travellers from across Western Europe, particularly in the Netherlands and Germany, where travellers are discovering that international connections are easier than they imagined," Mr Brown said.

He added that the company is anticipating another busy year in 2007, with the annual spectacle of the Tour de France in July coupled with the unique autumn event that will be Rugby World Cup in France expected to produce considerable interest.

France is second only to Spain in terms of the number of Britons who visit each year.

---

Accessing the news service

You can view all of the Assetz® UK, International and UK Property Investment Articles and News here.

We also provide an Feed of the news service, or you can view all articles. Click here to view more information on RSS readers and how they make reading online news more convenient.

Terms of content usage:
XML and other types of publication of this article title and the URL of this page are permitted using the RSS feed or other methods.
Article content strictly prohibited from duplication on any other site directly other than first paragraph included in the XML feed.

Copyright © 2001-2009 Assetz® News Limited. All Rights Reserved | Company Information | Assetz® Homepage
Assetz House, Newby Road, Hazel Grove, Stockport, Cheshire, SK7 5DA
TEL (UK): 0161 456 4000 FAX: 0161 482 7588
TEL (International): +44 161 456 4000 FAX: +44 161 482 7588