Tourism: Morocco drives the growth of French tour operators this winter

The results of the Seto barometer for the 2025-2026 winter season show a turnover increase of 8.9% compared to last year, reaching 1.49 billion euros. This growth is driven by an 8.8% increase in the number of travelers, with nearly 800,000 departures recorded. While the start of the season was particularly dynamic, the market has observed greater caution since the beginning of January, according to Tourmag.

Egypt has emerged as the star of this winter with sales up more than 54%. It is now the third most popular destination, just behind France, boosted by ski performance, and Spain. Morocco also confirms its good health with a growth of 9.4% and 64,000 travelers recorded. This consistent performance since the post-Covid period has even led the union to organize its next annual forum in Tétouan, from March 25 to 27.

Conversely, some destinations are stagnating. Tanzania has seen a drop in attendance of nearly 17%, penalized by the blacklisting of several local airlines, which complicates the organization of safaris on site. The United States is also experiencing a 4% decline in bookings for this winter, a trend that seems to be worsening for the upcoming summer season.

The first trends for the summer of 2026 show a plunge of nearly 30% in bookings to the United States. This disaffection is explained by very high prices on site but also by an effect related to the figure of Donald Trump. For their summer holidays, the French are currently turning to nearby destinations such as Greece, Spain and Italy, while maintaining a strong interest in Tunisia, Turkey and Morocco. The United Kingdom, on the other hand, is recording a spectacular increase of more than 65%, mainly driven by the resumption of school trips.