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Bpifrance Launches Entrepreneurs’ Club Named La French Experience

November 4, 2026 by Amara Nambinga

Eric Versey, directeur exécutif du financement et du réseau chez Bpifrance - Photo : TB

Attitude Hotels

No Beyoncé or Gims this Thursday, October 8, at the Accor Arena in Paris… Tens of thousands of spectators in the concert hall came to applaud… business leaders!

The show is staged by Bpifrance, which is organizing its “Big 2026” event, the major gathering of entrepreneurs in France.

On the program, a day of exchanges, workshops and conferences around various themes, from climate to industry, from innovation to tourism, which holds a special place.

Because this year, the twelfth edition of the event is the opportunity for the Public Investment Bank to officially launch La French Expérience, a new community of tourism and leisure entrepreneurs in France.

The launch was formalized this morning, in the presence of Serge Papin, Minister of Small and Medium Enterprises, Trade, Crafts, Tourism and Purchasing Power and, more surprisingly, the influencer and content provider Bruno Maltor.

Fostering the Sharing of Experiences

For years now, we have been calling for the creation of this community; it is a solemn moment. Tourism is about dreams, memories, but above all, it is a strategic asset, a powerful engine of growth, employment and attractiveness — this is how Eric Versey, executive director of financing and the network at Bpifrance, greets the launch.

Concretely, La French Expérience aims to bring together businesses of all sizes, from accommodation, dining, travel and leisure and Tourism Tech, in order to shine a light on sector successes and best practices, foster the sharing of experiences and encourage collaborations

And, in the end, with the ambition of creating a collective dynamic and strengthening the appeal of French tourism.

Forty ambassadors have been selected across France to form and expand this community, with participation free. The aim is to unite 1,000 engaged tourism leaders by 2030. Bpifrance can also rely on its 50 business managers, distributed across its offices nationwide.

La French Expérience will come to life through meetings, events, and study presentations, highlighting leaders, across the territory.

Loans of honor, guarantees, and equity investments

The launch of La French Expérience, featuring a stylized rooster logo, is also an occasion for Bpifrance to reaffirm its strong commitment to tourism and to highlight its role alongside entrepreneurs, with a full range of financing, investment and support.

Since 2021, the Public Investment Bank has granted nearly €5 billion in financing for tourism and leisure, through loans of honor, credits, guarantees and equity investments, supporting almost 6,000 companies.

In this total, the unsecured loan offer, in particular the Tourism Season Boost Loan, benefited 1,640 companies for more than €73 million.

Guarantees of loans from banking and non-banking partners, such as Réseau Entreprendre, also participate in supporting the sector.

Overall, with these various partners, Bpifrance has enabled support for nearly 60,000 tourism and leisure companies over five years, totaling €12 billion.

A new investment fund in 2027

Bpifrance’s support also comes through the Tourism Investment Funds (FIT), which aim to foster French champions. The three funds launched since 2015 have invested €520 million in 157 companies, including Pierre & Vacances-Center Parcs, Les Hôtels Littéraires, Voyageurs du Monde or Havas Voyages.

The year 2026 marks the end of FIT 3 (€200 million invested since 2023), with notably a recent investment in Belambra to support its renovation and upgrade program.

See also : Bpifrance takes a stake in Belambra

By 2027, FIT 4 will be launched, with a total envelope of €250 million. Beyond continuing to support tourism players, this new fund will broaden its scope to sport (infrastructure operators, equipment, etc.), entertainment, leisure and tourist experiences.

Note that Bpifrance has also assisted 885 SMEs and mid-caps in the sector through its advisory work since 2015, notably on growth and structuring, environmental and digital transition or AI integration.

Finally, part of these advisory missions are delivered within the Tourism & Leisure Accelerator (in partnership with Banque des Territoires), with seven cohorts since 2019, representing a total of 179 leaders supported in their projects.

Published by Thierry Beaurepère Journalist
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Tanzania Leaders Club: Expanding Offerings to Accommodate More Visitors

October 26, 2026 by Amara Nambinga

Après Marseille, le Tanzania Leaders Club poursuit son roadshow à Lyon, Genève et Paris. @TourMaG

CroisiEurope

After Nice, the Tanzania Leaders Club stopped in Marseille on October 14.

Organized by Axium Collective, this B2B meeting brought together nine partners at the Vieux-Port, and about fifteen travel agencies and tour operators.

At the initiative of this tour, Laurent Gavache, France director of Tanganyika Expeditions, explains a wish to reestablish contact with distributors: « Often, we have them on the phone and we don’t see them very often. » The aim is therefore to gather professionals for a single meeting to present the various offers of the destination.

For Malory Moll, a travel agent with Sésame des Voyages in Marseille, this encounter comes at a perfect moment, « It allows discovering in the best possible way a destination I don’t know. » For her, « it is also a destination where demand is higher than before. »

Des recettes touristiques record

Tanzania intends to continue the growth of its tourism.

The country targets 8 million visitors per year by 2030, compared to nearly 5.9 million arrivals forecast for 2025.

The latest figures already confirm a rise in activity. According to the National Bureau of Statistics, tourism receipts reached 4.41 billion dollars in 2025, versus 3.90 billion in 2024, a 13% increase. The average expenditure per visitor per night also rose from 243 to 289 dollars. These data reflect a new record level of tourism revenues.

On the ground, Tanzania preserves a strong high-end component. Vincent Guérin-Vagnac, co-founder of Chancellerie, describes a hotel offer as “rather high-end for the destination. The honeymoon segment is among the strong drivers for this type of destination.”

Yet the goal of welcoming more visitors also hinges on promoting diverse experiences and the possibility to build varied itineraries, depending on the wishes and budgets of travelers.

Safari and Zanzibar: “two journeys in one”

Safaris and vast open spaces remain at the heart of the Tanzanian offer. The destination’s current aim is to highlight beach stays in Zanzibar, « to propose several experiences within the same trip. On a 10-day, 12-day itinerary, you will truly see two completely different journeys, with distinct landscapes, different accommodations, and varied experiences, » explains Laurent Gavache.

For agencies, this diversity enables them to offer trips tailored to different profiles. Malory anticipates « selling the destination more in group travel, in family groups for private trips. It still requires a substantial minimum budget ». And, that the roadshow « provides a broader view of the offer ». Consequently, it allows presenting more economical alternatives to certain clients.

Beyond Safaris

Diversifying experiences also means highlighting the country’s natural and historical heritage.

Present in Marseille to promote Ngorongoro, Mariam C. Kobelo, head of tourism and marketing, stresses the richness of this area, “Ngorongoro has a lot to offer: nature, culture, heritage, and history.”

For her, the experience should not be limited to animal watching “The region is home to important archaeological sites, including Laetoli, known for fossilized footprints dating back about 3.6 million years, and the Olduvai Gorge, where remnants help retrace part of humanity’s origins.”

Southern parks, another possibility

Couple de Fuliers à bec rouge tanzaniens visibles dans le Parc national de Ruaha au sud du pays. @Deposit-MatthiaATH

Diversification also means “discovering regions less represented in the classic circuits,” notes Vincent Guérin-Vagnac. With their new Mikumi lodges, Guérin-Vagnac hopes to show that “even if the northern parks remain a central step for safaris, the southern parks offer different landscapes and a distinct experience.”

Access to the parks remains a major challenge for tours in Tanzania. Since June 2025, the inclusion of Tanzanian airlines on the EU blacklist has complicated the marketing of trips that include domestic flights.

The roadshow is also an opportunity to present other possibilities to professionals. Vincent Guérin-Vagnac mentions in particular “the train to reach Mikumi from Dar es Salaam, with pickup and transfer coordinated by the accommodation on arrival.”

Club Med Opens Its First Resort in South Africa

October 22, 2026 by Amara Nambinga

Sur la photo (de gauche à droite) : Edward Xu Xiaoliang, Guo Guangchang, Patricia de Lille, Stéphane Maquaire, Moses Tembe, Thamsanqa Ntuli - Photo : Club Med

CroisiEurope

Inaugurated on September 17, 2026 in Tinley Manor, the Club Med South Africa Beach & Safari marks the brand’s first footprint in South Africa and introduces its concept of pairing beach relaxation with safari adventures.

The coastal resort sits on a 32-hectare site facing the Indian Ocean, about a 30-minute drive from King Shaka International Airport.

It features more than 400 rooms, suites and villas, four pools, spaces for both families and adults, and several restaurants that highlight South African products and flavors.

The stay can be enhanced by a stopover at the Vikela Safari Lodge, exclusively accessible within the combined offer. Located in a private reserve of roughly 18,000 hectares in the north of the Kwazulu-Natal region, the lodge provides upscale tented accommodations and guided safaris to encounter the Big Five.

With this combination, Club Med aims in particular to encourage longer stays and to raise the visibility of KwaZulu-Natal among its international clientele and its distribution network.

More than 2 billion rands invested

The project represents an investment of over 2 billion rands. The resort is owned and developed by Tinley Leisure, which brings together several South African institutional and private investors, while its operation is managed by Club Med.

The project also generated more than 2,300 direct and indirect jobs during construction. The resort today employs around 600 permanent direct jobs and supports approximately 1,500 additional jobs with suppliers and related sectors.

More than 80% of the staff at the Tinley Manor site are South Africans, while all teams at the Vikela Safari Lodge were recruited locally.

The resort earned the Green Star SA New Build Design – 4 stars certification, notably thanks to the installation of solar panels, water-management measures, the reduction of single-use plastics, and food-waste reduction efforts.

Club Med also aims to obtain the Green Globe certification for the operation of the resort.

Publié par Amelia Brille Rédactrice TourMaG.com
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Club Med Appoints New Executive to Support Stéphane Maquaire

October 21, 2026 by Amara Nambinga

Philippe Heim a été nommé directeur général délégué de Club Med - Crédit photo : RP

CroisiEurope

Without slipping into conspiracy theories, recent events might lead us to believe that Henri Giscard d’Estaing and Stéphane Maquaire are shadowing each other.

During the moment when the former head of Club Med is making headlines again after having refused the presidency of the Organizing Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games Alps 2030, the current CEO would have Fosun impose a chaperone, according to our colleagues at La Lettre, to assist him in managing the French group.

And the mentor of Stéphane Maquaire is none other than Philippe Heim.

The ENA admit moved within the circle of the Chinese shareholder for nearly two years, since he was the group’s deputy chief financial officer, but above all a liaison for Fosun with French institutional and political circles.

From October 8, 2026, the former deputy general director of Société Générale will become deputy chief executive of Club Med and will also join the brand’s executive committee.

Club Med: Philippe Heim to assume expanded leadership responsibilities

In an internal note we were able to consult, we learn that Philippe Heim arrives to meet Club Med’s development expectations and will be charged with the efficiency-improvement project.

In addition to this, he will oversee various departments, such as Finance, Legal, as well as Public Affairs and Communications.

Despite this important scope, he will report directly to Stéphane Maquaire.

“Philippe brings solid leadership experience in international environments, having held senior positions at Société Générale and La Banque Postale, and more recently, as co-chief financial officer of Fosun International.

Beyond this experience, I know Philippe will bring our team his energy, his perspective and his ability to challenge us as we enter this new phase“, commented to the teams by the CEO of the brand with the trident.

Par la même occasion, Philippe Heim quittera son poste à Fosun et au conseil d’administration du Club Med.

Ce n’est pas tout, car cette nomination s’accompagne d’une réorganisation de l’état-major.

Club Med: stock market return and growth as top priorities

Thus, we learn that Edmund Choi, Club Med’s chief financial officer, will report directly to the new leader. He will support financial planning, performance management, treasury management, procurement and financial resilience.

Saliha Abdou, who leads the Legal Department, will also fall under Philippe Heim’s responsibility, as will Cécile Trunet-Favre, director of communications and influence, but only for public affairs.

An organizational change designed to allow Andrew Xu to focus solely on his core priorities: growth and investment.

“We have a lot ahead of us.

Our ambitions are high, as is the standard we set for ourselves. I am convinced that the strength and complementarity of our executive committee will be essential to turning these ambitions into results“, concluded Stéphane Maquaire in the memo.

To accelerate the group’s development and find growth channels, the CEO has decided to entrust strategy definition to Alvarez & Marsal.

Born initially from restructuring work, the firm provides international consulting to many companies, combining operational and financial expertise, execution capability and commitment.

The firm will play a role in increasing both Club Med’s activity volumes and margins.

Stéphane Maquaire arrives with a tight agenda. He must successfully implement the expansion of vacation villages to reach 100 sites by 2035, from around 60 today.

To read : Club Med: objective of 100 villages by 2035

A CEO who, according to the newspaper Les Échos, “would have been embraced by the GOs, even though he knows nothing about tourism and comes from mass retail.”

He must also, in addition to discovering the industry, prepare the listing return of the brand with the trident, which would relocate from Paris to Hong Kong.

Padel Tour: Club Med Leaves Its Villages to Meet Padel Players

October 20, 2026 by Amara Nambinga

Padel Tour : Club Med sort de ses villages pour aller à la rencontre des pratiquants - Photo EG

CroisiEurope

“ Sport is part of Club Med’s DNA.” recalled Stéphane Maquaire, Chief Executive Officer of Club Med, who launched his Padel Tour in partnership with Babolat on Friday, October 2, in the presence of the press.

The group today offers more than 60 sports activities within its villages, including padel, which has been part of its offering for more than two decades.

Today, there are 55 courts in 17 villages, the CEO noted. In the face of the sport’s rapid growth, the group now aims to expand its presence beyond its resorts.

Let’s step outside our villages and meet those who already practice padel, explains Stéphane Maquaire. The objective is to establish a link with this community and, ultimately, to offer more activities and tournaments within Club Med villages.

Stéphane Maquaire, PDG du Club Med et Eric Babolat le DG de la marque Babolat lancent le Club Med Padel Tour - Photo EG

This is how the idea of the Club Med Padel Tour came into being. The event will be organized across nine European countries, with several stops in France and engagements in Asia. The competition will culminate in Marbella in March, at a village that features eight padel courts.

The group relies on its partnership with Babolat, which has lasted for more than twenty years. The two companies have, in particular, developed equipment tailored for children to enable family-friendly padel.

“This is a new step: Club Med moves beyond its walls, beyond its villages to engage with its current and future customers,” summarizes Maquaire, who adds that the sport is experiencing strong growth worldwide, with 35 million players. In France, the number of players is also expected to reach one million.

RIU Hotels: RIU Partner Club Website Gets a Brand-New Look

October 20, 2026 by Amara Nambinga

CroisiEurope

RIU Hotels & Resorts launches its new website dedicated to the RIU Partner Club, the loyalty program of RIU designed exclusively for travel agents.

The platform has been redesigned from the ground up. “The new RIU Partner Club website was designed to simplify and speed up daily operations,” according to a press release from the hotelier.

Professionals will be able to directly access detailed hotel profiles, consult real-time information on their reservations and manage their sales in a straightforward way.

The RIU Partner Club has a double objective: to help professionals deepen their knowledge of the product to boost their sales and, at the same time, to reward their efforts by offering them the opportunity to enjoy stays at the chain’s hotels, adds the press release.

For every sale completed, the travel agent earns points that never expire as long as the account remains active. These points can be redeemed for free nights at RIU Hotels & Resorts properties.

Travel agents have direct access to technical sheets, to the latest news to better advise the final customer. Finally, special offers, and member-exclusive promotions are also available to salespeople.

Today the program counts an international community of more than 100,000 active members spread across 139 countries.

Villages Club: Mountains Dominate Summer 2026 Plans

October 19, 2026 by Amara Nambinga

Hôtel Résidence Vacances Bleues Orhoitza. Photo: Vacances bleues

CroisiEurope

The summer of 2026 ends with a broadly positive overall assessment for several operators of holiday villages and clubs, but with wide disparities depending on the destinations.

The results remain mixed depending on the models. MMV, a specialist in mountain clubs, reports a 5% increase in revenue on a like-for-like basis and an average occupancy rate of 83% in July-August.

Belambra reports a 7% rise in its revenue and a 4.5% increase in the number of guests, welcoming 150,000 vacationers.

Conversely, the tourism residences monitored by the FNRT (Pierre & Vacances, Goélia, Odalys…) show an occupancy rate of 52.6% for the season, down 1.2 points compared with 2025.

Weather reshuffles the deck; the mountains confirm their summer status

The main development of the summer concerns the weight of weather in departure decisions. Episodes of extreme heat have not only squeezed sales at certain times but also encouraged vacationers to alter their destination.

At Miléade, the Mediterranean remained stable compared with 2025, while Atlantic and Channel destinations rose by 5%. The mountains show, by contrast, a 20% growth. Its occupancy rate reaches 78% during the summer and nearly 90% in August.

Odalys also observes a six-point rise in mountain occupancy and a six-point increase in Brittany. Belambra records, on its side, a 13% increase in revenue in its mountain clubs, with occupancy rates close to 100% in the last week of August.

Normandy is among the regions that benefited from VVF, with an announced volume growth of 6 to 8%. VVF’s CEO, Stéphan Le Bihan, estimates that nearly 20% of customers made their decisions in the five last days, depending in particular on the evolution of the weather. About 10% changed destination to seek more coolness.

« The market has split in two », notes Stéphan Le Bihan, while also mentioning the impact of purchasing power on departures.

For MMV, this cooling effect is not new. According to Sylvie Joly, Deputy Chief Executive « holidaymakers are in search of nature and vacations more oriented toward the outdoors. »

Last-minute deals and short getaways: trade-offs quicken

another common trend among operators: customers retain a strong willingness to travel, but adapt the format of their holidays more.

At MMV, the share of short stays rises by 10 points and bookings made less than ten days before arrival are up. VVF also notes an acceleration of short stays, while Odalys records a three-point increase in their share of revenue.

Last-minute remains particularly visible this summer. Belambra, for example, recorded, at the end of July, 60 bookings for same-day arrivals. At Vacances Bleues, heat waves caused temporary sales stoppages before rapid resumption toward destinations deemed more suitable to climatic conditions.

The phenomenon, however, is not solely about the weather. Purchasing power also drives families to arbitrate between duration, level of services and destination. VVF estimates about 8% as the decrease in customers for rentals that match the tightest budgets. For households with more leeway, the stay can be maintained but with more integrated services to better manage the budget.

At Miléade, the Mediterranean remains the primary destination despite the trade-offs: it still accounts for 56% of summer revenue. The mountains, cheaper by 30 to 40% depending on the operator on certain destinations, also allow reaching clienteles for whom budget is a decisive factor.

September Gains Ground and Holidays Fragment

The development of short stays is also a growing trend. Vacations are less systematically centered on one single week and can now be spread across several destinations.

VVF notably observes the development of itinerary-hopping, with French people chaining two or three destinations during the same summer. The stay can combine several formats of accommodation and several operators, depending on the activities sought.

This evolution also changes the calendar. The off-season is increasingly seen as a period for postponement, especially for clientele who can choose their dates more freely.

At Odalys, mountain nights thus rise by 28% in September. The FNRT also notes a slight increase in the coastline and an approximate 1.5-point rise in the mountain occupancy rate for the month. A portion of the senior clientele also seems to shift their stays from June to September.

Vacances Bleues observes the same trend, with September sales that have greatly accelerated since the end of August. The operator notes in particular that there are more couples and families without school constraints choosing to travel after the summer to avoid the peak heat and benefit from less crowded periods.

« Last-minute, it’s really becoming the norm », sums up Jérôme Vyar, CEO of Vacances Bleues, who also notes a tendency to multiply short getaways rather than concentrating vacations on a single departure.

TUI France Launches Premium Collection for Marmara Club and Lookéa Club

October 5, 2026 by Amara Nambinga

TUI France lance une Collection Premium Club Marmara et Club Lookéa - Photo PB

Aer Lingus

“Although the summer was marked by a monthly challenge, we fared rather well.”

That said, it was a fairly mixed summer, Christophe Fuss, CEO of TUI France, described yesterday during a lunch held on the margins of the IFTM.

Indeed, after a strong start, bookings slowed down last winter after the start of the war in the Middle East.

“We first put in place a plan B to allow customers to change their destination up to two weeks before departure. Then, in June, we supported last-minute bookings and rekindled customers’ interest by offering free travel for one child up to twelve years old,” summarized Christophe Fuss, according to whom “little by little, the high season is sliding toward September.”

There Are Still Positive Points

Cours de cuisine sur un jongue, au Vietnam, pendant un circuit de la gamme "Saveurs de Nouvelles Frontières. © PB

« If winter bookings begin in the wake of summer, there are still positive points, » continues Christophe Fuss. And he cites the restart of the United States, the success of Egypt, Latin America which « performs and confirms its growth potential » and Asia that is picking up well.

For “to support its commercial momentum”, TUI France has, moreover, launched three sales challenges (from September 10 to November 30, 2026) on three of its flagship destinations: Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia.

Another source of satisfaction for Christophe Fuss is the strong success of the “Gamme Saveurs” (around ten destinations) launched by Nouvelles Frontières at the end of last year, and the genuine enthusiasm generated by the “voyages événements” conceived around a festival, a concert, a Grand Prix of Formula 1, a solar eclipse, etc.

While still hoping for a “return to normal”, TUI France has, to secure its future, adapted its marketing strategy by introducing with Primos to promote early bookings (promotional offers allowing travel at reduced prices for the winter season) and is working on its brands’ communications to respond to the likely strong last-minute demand this winter and potentially again next summer.

A Premium Collection for the Clubs

Beyond these short-term adjustments, Christophe Fuss notes that « our market is transforming deeply. Price is becoming an increasingly decisive criterion, offers are becoming uniform, and even the world of Clubs is becoming commonplace. »

In fact, he analyses that « value moves toward the lived experience ». « The difference is made by the experience we give customers, by the memories we create. And that is what fosters brand loyalty. »

In this context, TUI France already has « the most complete and most segmented range of Clubs on the market »: 15 Marmara Clubs and 7 Lookea Clubs, including two new ones, Lookéa Club in Salvador de Bahia and Lookéa Club in Juan Dolio in the Dominican Republic. It is complemented by the TUI Selected Collection.

However, to “take a new step in its value-creation strategy”, TUI France has decided to launch a Premium Collection Club Marmara & Club Lookéa. This selection of establishments meets the expectations of a clientele seeking more exclusive experiences, with enhanced services and a higher level of comfort.

This new offering illustrates TUI France’s ambition to move upmarket while remaining faithful to the DNA of its brands and their experiential promise.

This Premium Collection also aims to attract a CSP+ client base seeking more personalized experiences and more curated environments.

Six clubs join this Premium Collection in winter 2026/27: the new Lookéa Vila Galé Marés Bahia Club in Brazil (from €1,997 per person all-inclusive, flights included); the Lookéa Nile Monarch cruise in Egypt (from €1,036 per person all-inclusive, flights included with a bonus of 5 excursions including the Valley of the Kings, Karnak, the Temple of Philae, etc.); the Lookéa Makadi Oasis Club in Egypt as well (from €1,095 per person per week); the Lookéa Kiwengwa Beach Resort in Zanzibar, the Lookéa Viva Miches in the Dominican Republic, and the Marmara Catalonia Playa Maroma 5* in Mexico.

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An Experience-Based Segmentation for Nouvelles Frontières

For its 2027 Collection, Nouvelles Frontières (85 destinations planned including two new ones: Salvador and Nicaragua, 350 itineraries and 78 new offerings) has also undertaken to clarify its various experiences to enrich its journeys.

If its offering was already organized around four major segments (escorted tours, self-guided tours, urban getaways, events-based itineraries), this segmentation is now complemented for tours and self-guided trips by seven ranges of experiences: Essentiel, immersive, Grand Voyage, discovery and Relaxation, En étoile, Privé and Saveurs.

Thus, as explained by Jean-Baptiste Delsuc, director of the tour- operating arm, “Nouvelles Frontières will no longer distinguish its trips solely by destination but also by the nature of the experience offered.”

In addition, Nouvelles Frontières now relies on the TUI ecosystem to enrich the experiences offered to its clients, leveraging the complementarity of its various brands. Example: in Brazil, after discovering the country’s cultural riches on a circuit, its customers will be able to extend their stay in the Premium environment of the new Lookéa Vila Galé Marés Bahia Club.

Mondial Tourisme Expands Mondi Club in the Canary Islands and Targets Egypt for Winter 2026–2027

September 19, 2026 by Amara Nambinga

Mondial Tourisme renforce ses Mondi Club aux Canaries - Depositphotos.com, DI-blr

MSC Croisières

The new Winter 2026-2027 brochure from Mondial Tourisme is now being distributed to travel agencies and is available online.

For this new season, the tour operator continues to develop its in-house clubs while expanding its long-haul offerings and the options for departures from the provinces.

But before addressing the winter schedule, Mondial Tourisme also draws a few lessons from the summer of 2026.

While Tunisia and the Canary Islands stood out as some of the best-performing destinations, the summer period was mainly characterized by a shift in customer behavior.

According to Laure Chevrinais, head of communications at Mondial Tourisme, the traditional July-August peak is losing ground to the shoulder seasons. “We are increasingly realizing that July-August is no longer the peak season as we used to know it“, she explains.

The summer of 2026 was also marked by geopolitical tensions and concerns about air travel.

Announcements about possible fuel supply difficulties or flight disruptions may have contributed to delaying decision-making. Some customers reportedly favored waiting to book later, pushing more bookings to the last minute.

Three New Mondi Clubs in the Canaries

For the winter, one of the main development axes focuses on the Canaries. Mondial Tourisme unveils three new Mondi Clubs, bringing the brand’s total number of properties on the archipelago to seven.

In Lanzarote, the operator offers notably the Mondi Club Galeon Playa 3*, labeled Relax and available on a half-board basis, as well as the Mondi Club Beatriz Playa & Spa 4*, in all-inclusive format. In Tenerife, the Mondi Club Grand Muthu Golf Plaza 4* completes this new lineup.

This expansion follows a logic of growth in a destination capable of operating beyond the mere summer season.

“The Canary Islands are indeed a destination that works year-round, both in summer and in winter. That’s why we want to strengthen a little more in this destination“, emphasizes Laure Chevrinais.

With these new addresses, Mondial Tourisme aims to consolidate a destination already well established in its portfolio and to offer more choices to agencies and clients.

Tunisia Remains the Operator’s Leading Destination

Tunisia remains the Mondial Tourisme’s main market. The tour operator claims more than 100,000 passengers per year to the destination, which is one of its historical focal points.

For the winter 2026-2027, the operator notably expands its lineup with the Welcome Meridiana 4* in Djerba. Already present in Mondial Tourisme’s programming, the property is now part of the Mondi Club range after several renovations.

The destination also benefits from a positioning particularly suited to the winter season, with a long-stay offer allowing travelers to chase sunshine a few hours from France.

Egypt Aims to Confirm Its Restart

Another market under close watch for the upcoming season is Egypt. Mondial Tourisme broadens its program with a new seven-night package titled “Treasures of the Nile to the Pyramids of Cairo“.

The product combines Cairo sightseeing and a Nile cruise, in a shorter format than the nine-night package “From the Pyramids to the Red Sea” that is offered elsewhere. The stay is marketed from €1,289 per week.

For Mondial Tourisme, Egypt had been one of the destinations showing signs of recovery before the recent slowdown linked to geopolitical context.

“Before the conflict, it was really a destination that was rebounding very well. There was a small pause, but we hope it will start up again“, says Laure Chevrinais.

The choice of a new seven-night format should particularly help meet clients looking to combine several experiences without devoting too long to the trip.

Lapland: Regional Departures Reconfirmed

The Lapland is also among Mondial Tourisme’s bets for the winter.

Building on the success of the previous season, the operator is renewing departures to Finnish and Swedish Lapland from several French cities. Flights are scheduled from Deauville, Nantes, Lille, Strasbourg, Lyon, Toulouse, Bordeaux and Marseille, in addition to Paris.

The Mondi Club Sodankylä in Finnish Lapland remains at the heart of the program, with stays that incorporate the main Arctic experiences: dogsledding, snowmobiling, meeting reindeer, ice fishing, and the aurora borealis.

This regional departure strategy already appears to be paying off. “We can already see that it’s working very well“, confirms Laure Chevrinais.

Club Med Launches Its First International Padel Tournament

September 2, 2026 by Amara Nambinga

Club Med lance le "Club Med Padel Tour" son premier tournoi de padel amateur et international, image by ClubMed

TAP Air Portugal

Following the success of the Club Med Padel Cup in 2025, an event that brought together celebrities and French champions in Spain, Club Med is stepping up a gear.

Starting in October 2026, the Club Med Padel Tour will thrill enthusiasts of the sport across Europe, the Middle East and Africa, with a dream finale under the Marbella sun.

The tournament will begin in October 2026 and will stop in several key countries, notably France, Belgium, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Spain and South Africa.

In France, the official kickoff will take place on October 2 at the 4Padel club in Boulogne-Billancourt, before visiting around ten major cities, including Paris, Lyon, Marseille or Bordeaux, until January 2027.

The winners from each country will meet in March 2027 for a grand international final at the Club Med Magna Marbella, with a all-inclusive stay for two people at one of the brand’s Resorts on the line.

Club Med Padel Tour: An Intergenerational Competition

The tournament aims to be accessible and faithful to Club Med’s values.

Organized in two distinct categories, women and men, it imposes a unique and original rule: the combined age of the two partners in each duo must be equal to or greater than 60 years.

This special rule has been designed to encourage intergenerational partnerships on the court.

Each regional stage will be designed as a festive occasion, featuring matches played in a competitive yet friendly atmosphere, musical entertainment with DJ sets and photo-call sessions, cocktails or aperitifs accompanying prize-giving ceremonies, as well as workshops for trying out leading-edge sports equipment.

Operational management is entrusted to Padel + Agency, founded by Robin Haziza, a prominent figure in the scene and former captain of the French national padel team.

This initiative strengthens Club Med’s positioning as a pioneer of the sport on holiday. The brand already operates 15 Resorts equipped with nearly 55 padel courts worldwide and plans to open additional courts in 2026.