Mediterranean Destinations Surge as French Tourists Seek Summer Escapes

"In a geopolitical context under high tension with, in the background, the economic crisis," French tour operators are recording a slight increase in bookings for this summer, says Patrice Caradec, specifying that until "the end of April, the recorded bookings do not allow to draw definitive conclusions. Indeed, while the portfolio of bookings is slightly up, sales for departures to Southern Europe, a major contributor to the summer season, remain incomplete."

However, forecasts indicate a 1.4% increase in customers (+1.6% for medium-haul destinations and +0.4% for long-haul destinations) this summer, which would result in a 2.9% increase in turnover.

In terms of destinations, Southern Europe is in the lead with the Greek islands (-1% year-on-year), the Balearics (+2%), mainland Greece (-6%) and the Canaries (-1%). With a 13% increase in the number of customers, Tunisia is the second most booked destination, followed by Morocco (+12%), the fourth. These last two countries are making a comeback in summer bookings after a strong growth in winter.

Regarding long-haul destinations for the summer, tour operators are recording an increase for leisure destinations such as Mauritius (+9%), the Dominican Republic (+4%) or Vietnam (up to +41%). On the other hand, bookings for the United States have decreased by 14%, while those for Canada have remained stable (+1%).