School timetables: for winter resorts, holiday zones as a lifeline

"The advantage of zoning A, B, and C is that we have a better distribution of customers on site," says Géraldine Leduc. "We can therefore better accommodate tourists." The general director of the National Association of Elected Officials of Tourist Territories (Anett) expresses her attachment to a sixty-year-old national totem: zonal vacations, introduced during the 1964-1965 school year. A system as decried by chronobiologists—who consider it harmful to children's rhythms—as it is supported by tourism professionals, particularly in the mountains.

"For ski resorts, winter represents 80% of our turnover," explains Laurent Barthélémy, president of the Union of Trades and Industries of the Hotel Industry (UMIH) for seasonal workers. "Removing even one week would be a far too significant loss of revenue." Since Emmanuel Macron's announcement in early May of a convention on childhood care —which begins this Friday, June 20—an entire sector has begun to tremble. "Even though, obviously, the priority remains the interests of children," recalls Géraldine Leduc.

However, the division of school holidays into three zones creates significant inequalities in the rhythm of the year for students. In 2024-2025, those in zone B first had five weeks of classes between Christmas and February, six weeks between the February and Easter holidays, and finally eleven weeks in a row until the summer holidays . In comparison, zone A benefited from a more regular calendar: seven, six and nine weeks of classes. A pattern close to the recommendations of chronobiologists , who advocate a rhythm of seven weeks of class, followed by two weeks of rest, but also the increase in the number of class days, to spread out the programs and thus, lighten the students' days. Faced with this observation, the specialized commission on the school calendar (a joint body which also includes parents' associations) is considering reducing the number of vacation zones.

"We don't want the system in place today to be changed," protests the director of Anett . The president of the UMIH's Seasonal Workers branch goes further: "We could even spread the February holidays over six weeks [instead of four today, editor's note], if the different areas don't overlap." The issue is obviously economic. In 2022, according to a study by Atout France, the direct effects of tourism represented 3.6% of GDP – or 82 billion euros. " And 7.5% of GDP if we talk about indirect effects ," suggests Géraldine Leduc. As for tourist spending in mountain resorts, a dedicated report from the Court of Auditors estimates it, for 2024, at "2.4 billion euros in summer compared to more than 8 billion euros in winter."

This economic development translates into employment, as industry professionals are quick to point out. "Every winter, there are 19,000 employees in the ski lifts," says Anne Marty, president of Domaines Skiables de France (DSF). " To this must be added that one job in the ski lifts generates around six in the rest of the country. " In France, there are 120,000 people who work directly in tourism during the winter holidays, according to DSF. With seasonal contracts that can extend up to five months. "Reducing the length of the holidays would have a detrimental impact on employees," continues Anne Marty. "This would add more people to the job market, and therefore to France Travail," adds Laurent Barthélémy.

Finally, less staggering of winter vacations would have impacts in terms of traffic... and even the affordability of snow vacations. "If everyone takes their vacations at the same time, prices will skyrocket," explains Géraldine Leduc. "The higher the demand, the higher the prices will go." "People would choose another resort or simply another vacation option," agrees Anne Marty of the DSF. "In any case, we're not going to push the boundaries of tourist sites," grumbles Laurent Barthélémy. And the professionals also cite, among the many arguments, the fatigue generated by traffic jams. On the other side of the scale, there is that of the children and the quality of learning.