The first reservation figures with tour operators for this winter are “incredible” after a summer of “very good results” both in number of travelers and in turnover, according to the Union of Tour Operators (Seto).
“The big surprise is the reservations for this winter. It’s incredible. We thought that what we had managed to do when we restarted in 2022 or even in the summer of 2023, was going to calm down this winter. That is not the case,” René-Marc Chikli , president of Seto, told the press on the eve of the opening of the IFTM Top Resa tourism professionals fair in Paris.
The first reservation figures for winter 2023-2024 (from November 1 to April 30) increase by 40% year-on-year for a turnover that also increases by 41.6%. These “very good prospects should be considered with caution in relation to possible events that disrupt the activity”, although they have nuances.
A turnover that grows by 28% this summer
“There is a strong recovery in Asia,” explained René-Marc Chikli, “Thailand is taking off again and Indonesia too thanks to Bali” and “Japan is selling very well.” In terms of the number of travelers, Mauritius occupies the first place on the podium with a 25% increase in its reservations, followed by Egypt (+192%), Morocco (+65.8%) and the Dominican Republic (-22%). “The winter figures are surprising. People have decided to invest in travel. How long will this last?” asked René-Marc Chikli when presenting these figures to the press.
The summer has also been good for Seto’s 70 tour operators who expect, from May 1 to October 31, a sales volume of 27.7% to 3,035 million euros. In the case of package trips (organized trips that include transportation and accommodation), the main business of tour operators, the number of clients increased during the same period by 11% to more than 1,651,000 travelers for a turnover of 2,180 million euros (+16%).
Tunisia, Greece, the Balearic Islands and Morocco lead the medium-distance destinations this summer and Mauritius, the United States, the Dominican Republic and Canada lead the long-haul destinations. “People want to travel,” says René-Marc Chikli. Despite inflation, despite natural disasters, “travel has a sacred side,” according to the president of Seto.
Source: BFM TV
