PARIS: Europeans are hoping to fly in for a little sun and sand after long months of lockdown and curfew – only to find that their dream vacation turns into a nightmare because there are no rental cars available is not.
Cars are not available in many areas popular with tourists or subcompacts going for 500 euros ($600 per week).
Car rental comparison websites show how expensive a vehicle rental has become for tourists this summer.
According to Carigami, renting a car for a week this summer will set tourists back an average of 364 euros, compared to 277 euros two years ago.
For Italy, the figure is 407 euros this summer, compared to 250 euros in 2019. SpainThe average cost has increased from 185 euros to 263 euros.
According to another website, Liligo, the cost of daily rentals on the French island of Corsica has nearly doubled. in the resort town of palma On the Spanish island of Mallorca, rental prices have nearly tripled.
Today’s problem is a direct result of the coronavirus pandemic.
Faced with a near absence of customers, car rental firms struggled to survive from selling vehicles to raise cash.
“Everyone has significantly reduced their fleet,” said Europcar chief Caroline Parrott.
As of spring, most companies still had about a third smaller fleets than in 2019, she said.
Car rental firms are used to selling and replacing their vehicles on a regular basis, so rebuilding their inventory shouldn’t be a problem.
The pandemic spurred demand for consumer electronics, creating a shortage of semiconductors, or chips, which are increasingly used not only in computers but in cars.
“A major contributor to the challenge right now is the global chip shortage, which has impacted new vehicle availability across the industry at a time when demand is already high,” said an Enterprise spokesperson.
It said it was working to acquire new vehicles, but in the meantime it is moving cars around to better meet demand.
– No car, try a van – “We’ve started warning people: If you want to come to Italy, which is finally reopening, plan and reserve ahead,” according to Italian car rental firms The head of the union, Massimiliano Arciapatti, said.
He said they were working hard to meet the increase in demand at holiday destinations.
“But we have two large islands that are major international tourist destinations,” he said, which makes it difficult to get cars around, especially since the trip to Sardinia takes half a day.
“The ghats are already full of people, who are bringing their cars,” he said.
“Given the law of supply and demand, there is a risk of this having an effect on prices,” Arquiapatti said.
There is also an increase in demand for rentals among individuals.
To get rid off, a web platform that organizes such rentals, said it has seen a “sharp increase in searches and rentals” in European markets.
More than 90 percent of the cars available on the platform have been rented on weekends since May, and many have already been booked for the summer.
GetAround has used the increase in demand to expand the number of cities that this service offers.
For some, their arrival may not come fast enough.
Bruno Riondet, 51, aeronautics technician, rents a car to attend matches for his favorite British football club, Brighton.
“Earlier, to rent a car I was paying between 25 and 30 euros per day. Today, it’s over 90 euros, it’s three times more expensive,” he said.
In United States of america, where prices skyrocketed during the spring, tourists visiting Hawaii turn to renting vans.
In France, there are still cars, according to Jean-Philippe Doyen, who handles shared mobility at the National Council of Automobile Professionals.
“Customers have a tendency to reserve at the last minute, in an even more precarious situation,” he said.
They will often wait until a few days before their trip, which means car rental firms don’t have full details of the upcoming demand, he said.
He said business is recovering, but revenue has not yet reached pre-pandemic levels as travel is not yet completely free.
Cars are not available in many areas popular with tourists or subcompacts going for 500 euros ($600 per week).
Car rental comparison websites show how expensive a vehicle rental has become for tourists this summer.
According to Carigami, renting a car for a week this summer will set tourists back an average of 364 euros, compared to 277 euros two years ago.
For Italy, the figure is 407 euros this summer, compared to 250 euros in 2019. SpainThe average cost has increased from 185 euros to 263 euros.
According to another website, Liligo, the cost of daily rentals on the French island of Corsica has nearly doubled. in the resort town of palma On the Spanish island of Mallorca, rental prices have nearly tripled.
Today’s problem is a direct result of the coronavirus pandemic.
Faced with a near absence of customers, car rental firms struggled to survive from selling vehicles to raise cash.
“Everyone has significantly reduced their fleet,” said Europcar chief Caroline Parrott.
As of spring, most companies still had about a third smaller fleets than in 2019, she said.
Car rental firms are used to selling and replacing their vehicles on a regular basis, so rebuilding their inventory shouldn’t be a problem.
The pandemic spurred demand for consumer electronics, creating a shortage of semiconductors, or chips, which are increasingly used not only in computers but in cars.
“A major contributor to the challenge right now is the global chip shortage, which has impacted new vehicle availability across the industry at a time when demand is already high,” said an Enterprise spokesperson.
It said it was working to acquire new vehicles, but in the meantime it is moving cars around to better meet demand.
– No car, try a van – “We’ve started warning people: If you want to come to Italy, which is finally reopening, plan and reserve ahead,” according to Italian car rental firms The head of the union, Massimiliano Arciapatti, said.
He said they were working hard to meet the increase in demand at holiday destinations.
“But we have two large islands that are major international tourist destinations,” he said, which makes it difficult to get cars around, especially since the trip to Sardinia takes half a day.
“The ghats are already full of people, who are bringing their cars,” he said.
“Given the law of supply and demand, there is a risk of this having an effect on prices,” Arquiapatti said.
There is also an increase in demand for rentals among individuals.
To get rid off, a web platform that organizes such rentals, said it has seen a “sharp increase in searches and rentals” in European markets.
More than 90 percent of the cars available on the platform have been rented on weekends since May, and many have already been booked for the summer.
GetAround has used the increase in demand to expand the number of cities that this service offers.
For some, their arrival may not come fast enough.
Bruno Riondet, 51, aeronautics technician, rents a car to attend matches for his favorite British football club, Brighton.
“Earlier, to rent a car I was paying between 25 and 30 euros per day. Today, it’s over 90 euros, it’s three times more expensive,” he said.
In United States of america, where prices skyrocketed during the spring, tourists visiting Hawaii turn to renting vans.
In France, there are still cars, according to Jean-Philippe Doyen, who handles shared mobility at the National Council of Automobile Professionals.
“Customers have a tendency to reserve at the last minute, in an even more precarious situation,” he said.
They will often wait until a few days before their trip, which means car rental firms don’t have full details of the upcoming demand, he said.
He said business is recovering, but revenue has not yet reached pre-pandemic levels as travel is not yet completely free.
.