France is one of the most beautiful and attractive country in the world : Eiffel Tower, Versailles Castle, Nice. So attractive that France has been the most visited country in the world (in 2018). With merely 90 millions of visitors generating €56 billions (www.lechotouristique.com), it is not a surprised that tourism is one of the most important sector in France. It recorded a total of 194.5 million domestic trips in 2017.
Statistics showing the popularity of different country from UNWTO.org
So local agency like Selectour or Promovacances have a huge market ahead for them with less competition than internationally.
Years ago, package tour was very popular because the agency takes care of everything, for many people, package tour means “no risk”. At that time, Thomas cook was very successful, and many other travel agencies were competing in this huge market.
However, these past years, the rise of AirBNB and the evolution of technology have put the travel industry to a new era : independence. We now use the Internet to book a trip rather than going to a travel agency. If we look at Thomas Cook in France, if you want to book a trip to Bretagne, there is only one trip possible. That is not enough for a travel agency, the choice are very limited and not varied. The trip they proposed are quite impersonal and not customizable.
Screenshot of my research to book a trip to Bretagne, www.thomascook.fr
When we look at other agency, the choice is way more diversified and large, one of the most important asset France have is the diversification : you can go to the. mountain, to the beaches, hiking, visiting famous place / castles. This is an advantage local travel agencies have over international travel agencies.
Thomas Cook has failed to adapt to this new era of technology and independence, that’s why they are falling in popularity.
Vincent TIENG
Sources :
https://www.lechotouristique.com/article/dossier-de-lete-2019-les-chiffres-cles-du-tourisme-francais
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