New York City, August 16, 2018—"With an increase of +16% compared to the same month in 2017, July 2018 saw strong ticket sales to France,” reports Anne-Laure Tuncer, Director USA of Atout France. Ms. Tuncer went on to say: “These figures and those of the past six months suggest that we will outdo 2017, which was a record year for American travel to France.”
Based on its ARC* reports, airline tickets issued via third party such as OTA, travel agencies, tour operators, corporate agencies and cruise companies continues to beat last year’s records. Paris saw an increase of +18% this past month as well as Nice (+13%), Marseille (+17%), Bordeaux (+15%) and Lyon (+17%).
From January 1 to July 31, 2018, airline tickets sales to France increased 6% for France and for Paris with the strongest performances for Nice (+11%), Marseille (+15%) and Bordeaux (+10%) over 2017.
Departures to France in 2018 also top last year’s record with +6%, +5% to Paris, +9% to Nice, + 15% to Marseille and +11% to Bordeaux.
While OTA and travel agencies account for the bulk of the airline ticket issuance to France, it is notable that cruise lines contributions represent close to 9% and that the Student travel segment is showing signs of recovery.
With the majority (74%) of the travel window over the next 3 months, 2018 promises to be another excellent year for travel to France.