Recovery continues in French travel market
Following several challenging years, recovery continues in the French travel market, according to Phocuswright's latest travel research report, France Online Travel Overview 2019. Since the election of reformist President Emmanuel Macron in 2017, the country has reduced its budget deficit while curtailing unemployment and restoring consumer confidence. Unfortunately, the country's reputation as a destination was badly affected by the violent Yellow Vest protests in early 2019, which disrupted locals and tourists alike. And the travel sector's reputation has also been tarnished by several high-profile bankruptcies in late 2019, most notably the collapse of industry giant Thomas Cook and the failures of the number two and three French airline players — XL Airways France and Agile Azur. Though unrelated, these near-simultaneous events have cast an air of malaise over the French travel market, casting a dark shadow over what would otherwise have been a stellar year.
