Morocco Leads Medium-Haul Travel Boom for French Tour Operators

In total, 632,264 package tour clients were recorded by the 70 tour operator members of the French Tour Operators Union (Seto) between April 1 and March 31, 2023, an increase of 49% compared to the previous year, reports Air Journal. This resulted in a 61% increase in turnover from package tours (including flight, accommodation and board) which now exceeds one billion euros. These performances were recorded thanks to the Canary Islands, Morocco and Egypt which are at the top of the medium-haul destinations but also the Dominican Republic, Mauritius and the French West Indies which occupy the top three long-haul destinations.

The prospects are good this year. According to Seto, "the summer 2023 season is looking positive", with bookings up 35.6% and turnover also up 44.1%. "On the summer forecasts, we are finding the big destinations we had known before Covid," explains René-Marc Chikli, president of Seto. Greece and the Balearics remain at the top. They are followed by "a Tunisia that is gaining momentum and Morocco, which is doing three times the forecast traffic compared to last summer," he says, adding that "it is the United States, with a dollar not really favorable for the French, Canada and Mauritius" which occupy the first place of the long-haul destinations. "Our clients have decided to travel after a difficult period, they had a desire to get away and do not hesitate to pay the price," assures René-Marc Chikli.