Marrakech Archives - Com Namibia

C'est Sète, port d'attache français de GNV, qui accueillera la prochaine cérémonie des GNV Awards, à l'automne 2027 - Photo : LG

Aer Lingus

The travel agencies certainly deserved this spotlight.

With more than 50% of sales generated via indirect distribution, they constitute the primary sales channel for GNV.

Even more, they have grown by 6.2% year over year, a pace that outstrips the company’s overall performance.

A point that Matteo Della Valle, the company’s Chief Commercial Officer, did not fail to mention during the 7th edition of the GNV Awards.

Held in grand fashion this weekend in Marrakech, the event allowed participants to discover the Ochre City through several excursions, while enjoying the comfort of the Mövenpick Marrakech, a five-star establishment whose stars are well deserved.

The Mediterranean Voyages Trophy

During this ceremony, which annually rewards the most successful partner agencies and welcomes new members into the Elite Partner and Elite Premium programs, the Méditerranée Voyages agency was named the most performing on the French market.

As proof of the importance placed on France, it’s Sète, the main French home port for GNV, that was chosen to host the next edition of the event.

From the port of the Hérault region, the company operates routes to Morocco (Tangier and Nador) as well as to Algeria (Algiers and Bejaïa).

Another eagerly awaited announcement: the opening of sales for summer 2027. It will take place on October 12, with a promotional campaign planned during the first two weeks of sales.

2.2 million passengers in nine months

GNV also took the opportunity to present its results for the first nine months of 2026.

The airline carried around 2.2 million passengers, up 2% compared with the same period of the previous year.

In North Africa, results are up in Algeria, while performances recorded in Morocco and Tunisia remain broadly stable compared with 2025.

Traffic to the Italian islands likewise continues to grow, with an 8% rise in Sicily and 6% in Sardinia. Volumes to the Balearic Islands and Albania remain, for their part, stable.

Four new LNG-powered vessels

The company also signed on Monday a three-year partnership with the Moroccan National Tourist Office (ONMT).

This agreement provides for joint promotional campaigns to support the kingdom’s tourism ambitions, which aim to attract 30 million visitors by 2030.

Finally, GNV unveiled the names of four future ships: GNV Jupiter, GNV Mars, GNV Venus and GNV Mercury.

These LNG-powered units are currently under construction at Guangzhou Shipyard International in China. The first, the GNV Jupiter, is slated to join the fleet by the end of 2027.

The vessel will be able to accommodate up to 2,500 passengers and will feature 500 cabins. It will also offer a freight capacity of 3,500 linear meters.

Published by Laurent Guéna Journalist – TourMaG.com
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Les Entreprises du Voyage (EDV) et Civitatis dévoilent la troisième édition de leur Index des activités touristiques - Depositphotos.com, IgorVetushko

Costa Rica

The market for activities, guided tours, and excursions continues to rise within the travel experience.

According to data from the third Index of Activities published by the Entreprises du Voyage (EDV) and Civitatis, French travelers are giving an increasing place to on-site experiences, to the point that they now influence their destination choice.

The study, based on reservations made between January 1 and June 15, 2026, mainly highlights a marked difference between purchases made directly by travelers (B2C) and those made through travel agencies (B2B).

In direct bookings, consumers favor immediacy: bookings are made with a median of only six days before the activity and more than half of purchases (53%) are made less than a week before the service.

Conversely, travel agencies anticipate their clients’ needs well in advance. Reservations are made with a median of 66 days before the activity, while 60% of purchases occur between one and six months before departure.

For Valérie Boned, president of Entreprises du Voyage, this analysis provides a real decision-support tool for professionals. “This third edition demonstrates how data is an indispensable growth lever for our members,” she notes.

The activities strengthen the role of agencies

For Georges Sans, head of France development at Civitatis, this evolution also reflects the positioning of travel agencies.

He believes that activities and transfers no longer represent merely add-on sales, but become differentiating elements enabling agencies to accompany clients throughout their journey and to reinforce their loyalty.

The Index also shows that guided tours remain the flagship product for travel agencies. They account for nearly 39% of sales realized via the B2B channel.

On destinations, Paris remains the top French destination.

Internationally, trends vary by distribution channel. Individual travelers favor New York, while travel agencies sell more Rome.

Airport transfers are also among the most sought-after services. In direct bookings, New York tops the requests, while agencies primarily market them in Marrakech, ahead of Seville and Rome, in a strategy of building complete stays.

Tunisia records the strongest growth

The Index also identifies international destinations with the largest increases in reservations compared to the first half of 2025.

Tunisia shows the most spectacular progression with a growth of 289%. It edges out Canada (+145%), Egypt (+106%), and the Dominican Republic (+37%).

Finally, the study confirms France’s attractiveness to international visitors. Paris remains the most visited French city, followed by Lyon and Nice.

According to a study published in May 2026 by Arival in partnership with Civitatis, more than one European traveler in two now considers that the experiences offered on-site play a very important, even decisive, role in choosing their destination.

This trend reinforces the growing weight of tourist activities in shaping travel-agency offers.

Published by Amelia Brille TourMaG.com Editor
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GNV Rolls Out the Red Carpet for Travel Agencies in Marrakech

The Mediterranean Voyages Trophy

2.2 million passengers in nine months

Four new LNG-powered vessels

Tourist Activities: New York, Rome, Marrakech — What the French Are Booking

The activities strengthen the role of agencies

Tunisia records the strongest growth