The first figures for bookings for this winter among French tour operators are “not satisfactory” after a “roller-coaster” summer due to uncertainties surrounding the Olympic Games and the political calendar, according to the Union of Tourist Operators (Seto). “We are not very satisfied with the winter,” said René-Marc Chikli, president of Seto, to the press on the eve of the opening of the IFTM trade fair for tourism professionals in Paris.
While the expected turnover from bookings from 1 November to 30 April is still up by 1.4% to 578 million euros, according to Seto, the number of travellers is down by 4.4% to 230,401 travellers. “Perhaps this week (with the IFTM programme, ed.) everyone will rush to their destinations,” hopes René-Marc Chikli. The president of Seto explains this wait-and-see attitude by the political situation in France. “The minds of French travellers were wondering whether they would have a right-wing or left-wing prime minister,” he explained. “In general, people have not decided on their winter holidays unlike in August 2023,” which saw a 40% increase in bookings.
In terms of the number of clients, the most popular foreign destinations this winter remain Morocco, Mauritius, the Canary Islands and Thailand.
Expected revenue figures are up but attendance is down for package holidays this summer
As for the summer season (from May to the end of October), the results “are like a roller coaster,” explained René-Marc Chikli. For the 70 Seto tour operators, “the month of May is excellent, June is reassuring compared to 2023 which was exceptional and the month of July was marked by communication about the Olympic Games,” with customers who feared not having a plane.
In the case of package tours (organised trips that include transport and accommodation), the main business of tour operators, the turnover for the summer is expected to increase by 4.8% to 2.3 billion euros, with average spending increasing by 6.2% to 3,742 euros. The number of travellers during the summer season, however, fell by 1.7% to 1.62 million.
Greece, Tunisia and the Balearic Islands in Spain lead the list of medium-haul destinations, accounting for 79% of summer traffic. While all destinations are down slightly year-on-year, Italy, in eighth position, is up 30%. Mauritius, the United States and the Dominican Republic top the list of long-haul destinations.
Source: BFM TV
