French demand for popular Mediterranean destinations is "melting"

This summer was worse than the 2024 season for France’s organized travel sector, marked by reduced travel activity and bookings for the most popular holiday destinations among the French, including Greece. This has led into an autumn that continues with the same downward trends.

According to the latest booking and sales barometer for travel agencies, compiled by the Observatoire des Entreprises du Voyage (EDV) and Orchestra, the number of passengers in summer 2025 fell by 8% compared to last year’s levels, with August recording a record decline (-10%) following a 6% drop in July.

At the same time, for the July–August period, travel agencies saw a 6% drop in revenue, but a 2% increase in average spending per traveler/booking, reaching €2,093.

However, as EDV points out, the rise in average spending does not offset the decline in the number of departures. In a fragile political, economic, and social environment that influences French travel choices, the summer season of 2025 appears “cut short,” with falling bookings outweighing the increase in average trip expenditure.

Decline also in September results

Meanwhile, forecasts for September in France’s organized tourism sector indicate a 6% drop in departures compared to September 2024, resulting in an almost 4% decline in turnover.

Average spending rose by 2% to €1,883, but this increase again failed to counterbalance the drop in bookings.

The barometer notes that in a tighter socio-economic environment, travelers prefer higher-quality but shorter stays, which intensifies the overall market slowdown in autumn 2025.

Bookings are down across all geographical regions, with the steepest drop seen in long-haul destinations (-15%), despite a 3% increase in average spending.

The picture is better for mid-haul destinations: although bookings fell 5%, a 4% rise in average spending largely offset the decline, limiting turnover losses to -1%.

-12% September bookings for Greece

The three leading international destinations for the French this September are Spain, Greece, and Tunisia, although all recorded drops in bookings (-8.1%, -12.7%, and -2.1% respectively). Overall, France remains the top destination, with a 5.4% decline in bookings.

In the Mediterranean basin, results are mixed. Turkey shows a 17% drop and Croatia -8%. By contrast, Albania (+12%), Italy (+10%), and Portugal (+6%) saw growth, while Egypt stands out with a strong 36% increase.

Long-haul destinations are losing share in favor of closer ones: the US saw a 24% drop in bookings, the Dominican Republic -33%, Tanzania -12%, and Canada -8%.

Bookings down through December

The barometer also shows a 4% decrease in bookings for departures scheduled between September and December 2025.

Turnover, however, is boosted by a 4% increase in average spending, now at €2,174. Still, this figure varies: traditional travel agencies saw a 3% rise (to €2,638), while bookings through other channels dropped 7% (to €1,187). Traditional agencies recorded a 2% increase in bookings, whereas other sales channels posted a steep 15% fall.

Tours (+13%) and hotel stays (+5%) are growing at the expense of traditional package holidays, while solo trips (+2%) and couples’ trips (-1%) are performing better than family trips (-6%) and group-of-friends trips (-15%).

At the destination level, Paris and Djerba top the preferences list. There was a sharp decline for the Canary Islands (Tenerife and Lanzarote), while mid-haul travel is acting as the market’s main driver, with a 2% increase in turnover. This growth is fueled by a 5% rise in average spending, which offset a small 3% decline in bookings.