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Corsair: Reducing Its Environmental Footprint, One Flight at a Time

October 31, 2026 by Amara Nambinga

PONANT

A 100% A330neo Fleet

Since late 2024, Corsair operates a fleet entirely composed of Airbus A330neos. This renewal enables the airline to deploy aircraft with improved energy performance. According to the manufacturer’s data, the A330neo emits 25% less CO₂ per seat and reduces its noise footprint by 60% compared to the previous generation.

This evolution is reflected in the airline’s consumption performance. In 2025, Corsair recorded 69.1 g of CO₂ per passenger-kilometre, compared with 86.9 g in 2019, a reduction of nearly 20% over six years.

Every Flight Counts

Beyond the fleet, Corsair acts directly on how its aircraft are operated. Its Fuel Efficiency program measures the impact of 26 initiatives, from flight preparation to in-flight and ground operations.

Over the twelve months from September 2025 to August 2026, these actions enabled fuel savings of 2,903 tonnes, i.e. more than 9,000 tonnes of CO₂ avoided.

A significant portion of these savings comes from crew practices. Eco-piloting actions account for about 40% of the gains. Continuous descent, when feasible, for example saved 329 tonnes of fuel over the period. Trajectory optimization, particularly when air traffic control allows aircraft to take more direct routes, also represents a major lever.

Technology complements these practices. With FlytOptim, developed by Thales, pilots benefit from optimized flight profiles on certain routes toward Africa, the Caribbean, and the Indian Ocean. The system enables savings of between 110 and 130 tonnes of fuel per year.

Reducing the Ground Footprint

The environmental approach also covers cabin operations. Waste sorting on board, launched in 2024 on flights to Martinique, has gradually been extended to other destinations.

Corsair is also working on the second life of its equipment: old uniforms are valorised, staff clothing is collected for recycling, and onboard linen is entrusted to an ESAT. Replacing paper newspapers with a digital catalog helps reduce the amount of paper used and the weight carried onboard.

An Evaluated Approach

These actions are part of a broader approach that is also subject to external evaluations. In 2026, Corsair scored 56/100 with EcoVadis, eight points higher than the previous year, earning the “Committed” badge. The company also earned in 2025 the Positive Company – Silver label.

The reduction of the environmental footprint thus rests on a multitude of levers: a newer fleet, better-controlled fuel consumption, optimized trajectories, eco-piloting practices, and careful attention to waste and resources. All these actions, added together flight after flight, allow Corsair to continue reducing its environmental impact.

Corsair : réduire son empreinte environnementale, vol après vol

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A Norwegian Island Tried to Abolish Time: Here’s What Remains of the Experiment

October 29, 2026 by Amara Nambinga

Sommarøy is an island with about 300 inhabitants located roughly fifty kilometers west of Tromsø. This small territory had made headlines in 2019 by declaring its aim to become the world’s first “time-free” zone. The proposal would apply only to the 69 summer days, from May 18 to July 26, during which the sun never sets on the island.

Cacophony Over the Summer Report: “It’s Time to Sit Around the Table” [ABO]

October 15, 2026 by Amara Nambinga

La France toujours leader mondiale : "pas d’inquiétude" pour le moment selon Bercy - Image IA, Chat GPT

CroisiEurope

Since the health crisis, summer tourism tallies have become the new perennial staple on rolling news channels.

Compiled by the end of July, they are supposed to gauge the season’s pulse. And this year, unlike the previous ones, the summer looked bleak.

French clientele, affected by inflation, would no longer have the means to treat themselves to a restaurant, nor even to take a few days away to escape the intense heat.

Remember, earlier in the week, the minister told TourMaG.com that “if we count June, July, August and September, we are stable (for French clientele, ndlr). But I note a slight regression in the heart of the season, in July-August“, always about the French.

The occupant of Bercy even stressed that the summer had been saved by… foreign travelers.

And yet, INSEE came to contradict all these statements… even those of Serge Papin!

Summer Review: “Revisiting the Communication on Tourism Figures”

Following the element of surprise, the minister of Tourism’s staff analyzed these figures and, according to its representatives, the numbers unveiled earlier in the week “do not completely contradict everything we said, particularly regarding domestic demand.

It should also be noted that INSEE focuses on attendance based on bookings, and not on tourism revenues, nor on international arrivals.

Therefore, one must be cautious when comparing different indicators. If you change the thermometer, you may not have the same feel.

It is true that everyone compares using different tools, whether it is the Travel Companies, the UMIH, the Alliance France Tourisme or KPMG.

But, for Bercy, this cacophony is counterproductive, even though INSEE provides the official statistics, albeit “fragmentary”.

Thus, during the peak season, as everyone issues announcements to alert about their members’ situation or to spotlight their concerns, Jean Pinard, president of the consulting firm Futourism, calls for a reset of the evaluations and the reports, so that they reflect exactly the real trends, and not bundles of presumptions.

“It is now time to bring everyone to the table to clearly define what we measure, why and by which methods” continues the author of the study for the Terram Institute, titled Holidays: History and Geography of an Unfinished Right.

INSEE’s Summer bilan “translates changes in foreign consumption”

Even the same tune from Bercy, which is surprised by this battle of figures and public statements in the middle of peak summer season.

“It would be interesting to review the communication on tourism figures. That there be a concerted effort to determine when, how and from what basis actors can speak. This situation concerns us.

Reports are drafted along the way and it isn’t only the fault of the media, because everyone goes with their messages. There is a reflex to speak up to say that the season was worse or better. This may not be the best solution.

Beyond this observation, it should invite us to think“, laments the minister’s staff.

If the tourism ecosystem agrees to denounce this summer cacophony, for Serge Papin’s entourage, INSEE’s figures rather reinforce the analysis he delivered at the IFTM.

“We achieved a solid season, which did not experience the kind of rupture we might have feared given the circumstances, but neither a surge.

The French needed holidays. This perhaps also reflects changes in consumption patterns, notably in the international clients’ booking habits.

Moreover, the international receipts recorded in July, up compared with the previous year, lead us to think that the tourist season was positive, especially for international clientele“, continues the minister’s office.

Ultimately, the surface contradiction may not be entirely so in practice, once the first impression has passed.

Incidentally, in the interview he granted us, Serge Papin already revealed that overnight stays were up by 1%. INSEE reports, for its part, an increase of 1.1% between May and August, for 2.8 million additional overnight stays.

A change in consumption habits

Moreover, this INSEE assessment is rich with several lessons for the ministerial office. “We draw from this two major conclusions.

First, a shift in the consumption habits of international customers, notably in terms of bookings and overnight stays.

Second, tourist demand has stabilized, across all markets. It has ultimately been quite present, though, again, prudence remains.

Foreign clients want to experience life the French way and Europe. They can do so in different ways. On one hand, they may opt to undertake a tour of Europe and visit as many countries as possible, which generates few overnight stays in each.

On the other hand, they may seek a more intimate experience of the destination, returning outside the major attractions and visiting the same country several times.

We may be at this point, with a decrease in overnight stays tied to package tours and a move toward more experiential tourism, closer to what Europeans experience. And for these travelers, stays are not always in hotels, details Serge Papin’s office.

France, beyond being a European crossroads – which explains why receipts are lower than in Spain or the United States – is also an entry point for North American and Asian travelers who want to discover Europe, starting or ending their itinerary with a few days in Paris.

France still a global leader: “no worries” for the moment

Published by Romain Pommier Journalist – TourMaG.com
See all articles by Romain Pommier

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Spain and Portugal: The Right Time to Visit Has Arrived

September 27, 2026 by Amara Nambinga

The same destination, but not the same journey

Climats du Monde

A historic square uncovered in broad daylight does not tell the same story as in the early morning, when shops open and the city slowly regains its rhythm. A market visited at the moment it unfolds its stalls does not offer the same experience as a quick crossing between two excursions. A neighborhood observed from a coach does not have the same flavor as a stroll at sunset, when residents reinvest the streets and the terraces.

The destination is the same, but the traveler’s perception changes completely.

For a long time, tourism programs were built around a sequence of places: a city, a monument, a museum, a restaurant, then a new start. The timetable functioned mainly as a technical element enabling all visits to fit into the day.

Today, it can become a genuine tool for creation. Shuffling the order of steps, advancing an excursion, extending an evening, or fitting in a pause can sometimes renew an itinerary without adding a single kilometer.

This evolution opens up new possibilities for agencies and group organizers. It invites not simply to sell a list of sites, but a sequence of atmospheres: the morning light on a landscape, the bustle of a market, the calm of a garden, the energy of a neighborhood at aperitif time, or the emotion of a show after nightfall.

The journey then begins to tell its story in a different way.

Ending the marathon trip

On paper, a very dense program can give an impression of richness. The more visits, cities, and excursions it contains, the more it seems to justify its price. But the value perceived during the stay does not depend solely on the number of offerings booked.

In aiming to show everything, one runs the risk of not leaving time to look.

Travelers must absorb the guide’s information, follow the movements, keep appointments, wait for the group, reunite with the coach and anticipate the next step. When days go by without a breath, experiences end up blending. Upon return, there are photographs, but not always a precise memory of what truly marked the stay.

A well-paced program does not necessarily mean a slower itinerary. It means that every moment has a function.

It may include a major visit at the moment when the group’s attention is strongest, a leisurely lunch, a transfer used as a transition rather than a mere move, then a more sensory or convivial experience at the end of the day.

It can also incorporate a half-hour with no instruction, free time in a pleasant neighborhood, or the possibility of returning individually to a place glimpsed with the guide. These spaces are not gaps to be filled. When well positioned, they allow the traveler to make the destination their own.

This question is particularly important for groups bringing together several generations, varying levels of mobility, or travel habits that differ widely. The right rhythm is not necessarily that of the fastest participant. It is the rhythm that enables the greatest number to enjoy the program without slowing down the entire group constantly.

In MICE as well, the quality of an event often depends on what happens between the formal times. A meeting, convention, or seminar can be enriched by a breakfast in an unexpected venue, a short activity after a working session, or an evening that leaves ample room for informal exchanges.

The available time then becomes a space for connection.

When the Iberian Peninsula changes time

Spain and Portugal lend themselves particularly well to this new way of organizing travel. The diversity of landscapes, the prominence of outdoor life, the gastronomy, and the evening traditions allow for days that do not necessarily follow the classic pattern “visit, lunch, visit, dinner.”

A morning can begin with a market, a walk in nature, a heritage discovery, or a meeting with a producer. The central hours of the day can be devoted to lunch, a comfortable transfer, a moment of rest, or an indoor activity. The late afternoon then becomes the starting point for a second part of the day.

It is at this moment that certain cities reveal another face.

Facades change with the light. The locals go out. Shopping districts give way to terraces, promenades, and cultural events. When a late opening allows it, a monument or museum can be discovered in an atmosphere very different from that of peak visiting hours.

After sunset, travel is not limited to nightlife. What we now call noctourism encompasses a much wider range of experiences: an architectural stroll, stargazing, a concert in a monument, a gastronomic tour, a performance of fado or flamenco, a traditional festival, a theatrical tour, or a dinner organized in a privatized venue.

On coasts and in islands, the evening can be organized around the landscape. In rural areas, it can highlight silence, the sky, or regional products. In large cities, it allows discovering vibrant neighborhoods without simply repeating the classic visit to the major monuments.

This evolution also responds to a search for comfort. Depending on the season and the destination, moving certain activities to the beginning or end of the day can allow enjoying more pleasant conditions and avoiding the busiest periods.

The objective is not to start all travelers at dawn nor to end every day at midnight. It is about choosing the schedules according to the experience sought, and not solely according to production habits.

Time is also a product that can be crafted

A program that feels smooth to the traveler rests on very precise preparation.

One must coordinate opening hours, guide availability, travel times, reservations, meals, the group’s mobility, and the constraints of each provider. An activity scheduled later in the day may require adjusting lunch, the driver’s rest time, or the arrival time at the hotel. A very early visit must be compatible with breakfast, group preparation, and site access conditions.

Creativity does not replace organization. It relies on it.

This is where the role of the receptive partner—responsible for receiving and orchestrating—makes perfect sense. It is not only about booking the different elements of a stay, but about putting them in harmony. A good program should be attractive in a brochure, feasible on the ground, and enjoyable for participants.

Before building an itinerary, several questions become essential: who are the travelers? In which season do they come? What is their level of mobility? What do they absolutely want to discover? Which moment should stand out as the high point of the stay? Where should the program be allowed to breathe?

The answers help establish a hierarchy. Not all visits need to have the same duration or the same importance. Not all days need to follow the same rhythm. And, sometimes, the best decision is to drop a step to give more value to the others.

For Itinerea Group, designing a trip means seeking a balance between discovery, comfort, feasibility, and emotion. Our teams work with agencies to tailor itineraries to the group’s reality and the territory, whether it is a cultural circuit, a thematic stay, a MICE operation, or a bespoke program.

The destination indicates where the journey takes place. The rhythm determines how it will be experienced.

In Singapore, Trading Screen Time for a Book Can Earn You Money

September 18, 2026 by Amara Nambinga

Whether it’s replying to messages or checking emails, watching a series or a movie, or shopping online, screens now hold a central place in our daily lives. A new way of living that sometimes pushes us to neglect activities that were once essential, such as outdoor activities, social interactions, or books and reading. To address this phenomenon and encourage its citizens to detach from their phones, computers, or televisions, Singapore has designed a program that pays them for reading a book.

Money, an Incentive for Reading

Since the start of September 2026, the Singaporean government has launched a program aimed at paying its citizens who dedicate at least fifteen minutes per day to reading a book. The objective? To counter doomscrolling, the practice of endlessly scrolling through posts on social networks, sometimes for hours on end. The scheme also aims to protect young people from the anxiety-inducing content they can be exposed to on the Internet.

Singapore also hopes that this program will improve its citizens’ concentration, critical thinking, and imagination. The principle is simple: readers can accumulate points, later converted into cents. As The Guardian explains, 50 daily reading sessions on a government site are needed to earn 1 Singapore dollar. A session of 15 minutes or more indeed yields 20 virtual coins, while you must accumulate 1,000 to obtain one dollar. Only one reading session is allowed per day.

A program that thus requires a certain degree of diligence if one truly hopes to pad their wallet. “We live in a world of extraordinary abundance of content, information and stimuli. At any moment, we can scroll through hundreds of titles, watch a video, or get a summary. We know that habits are built through small, regular actions. That is why we start with a simple objective: read 15 minutes a day. On the bus, before bed, or during lunch”, stated Melissa Tam, the director of the National Library Board in the columns of the Straits Times.

Singapore Is Not New to Financial Incentives

The program, carried out by the National Library Board (NLB), an agency that administers Singapore’s public libraries and falls under the Ministry of Digital and Information Development, aims to reach 150,000 users by September 2027.

Despite the government’s concerns about reading, fifteen-year-old Singaporean students recently topped the global reading rankings as part of the 2025 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), ahead of China and Taiwan.

As surprising as it may seem, Singapore is not new to using financial incentives to influence the behavior of its citizens. Indeed, the city-state had already employed this method to encourage Singaporeans to walk and meet their daily step goals in exchange for supermarket vouchers.

Edgar Morin: Toward an Increasingly Complex Leisure Time [ABO]

June 30, 2026 by Amara Nambinga

Edgar Morin : vers un temps libre de plus en plus complexe - Depositphotos.com Auteur ALLVISIONN

CroisiEurope

In a life busy with repetitive tasks, increasingly urgent, constraining and most often bureaucratic, Edgar Morin is the author of that famous line: “When there is a vacancy of values, there is value in vacations.”

A finding that has never deserved less resonance than in our chaotic era, where peace is menaced by the madness of a few, by robots and machines that deprive humanity of the respite necessary for its survival.

The time available for leisure, which gradually became a component of the social order since the summer of 1936, has indeed become the one we place at the top of our priorities.

As a bearer of physical and mental rest, it makes it possible to break with routine, with obligations and especially with our everyday geography. It most importantly enables the regeneration of the strength of workers outside mandated time.

The Duration of Time Expands

Having become an indispensable pause, free time now tends to lengthen as our societies evolve. After 1936 and the 15 days of paid holidays finally granted to workers, the third week appeared in 1956, and the fourth week was granted in 1969, within the social gains package of May ’68.

Finally, in 1982, the fifth week codified a progression reflecting the shared aspiration for an improved quality of life and a possibility to fragment annual vacation times into multiple trips, allowing the tourism machinery to operate across several periods of the year. And for individuals to diversify their leisure consumption. And provided they have the means, their expenditure on tourist travel.

According to Jean Viard in his work: “The Triumph of a Utopia”, work now occupies only 10 to 12% of our lives compared with 40% in 1936!*

From Collective Rhythms to Individual Rhythms

Another major shift is the RTTs, which disrupted working times and fractured collective rhythms.

Fracturing in favor of personal time, sometimes endured but most often chosen, the reduction of working time has made free time more flexible and malleable, generating not only a sense of freedom but also the freedom to schedule leisure activities at times different from those of the majority.

A privilege that is increasingly sought after.

From Telework to Holidays Every Day

What more can be said about this other source of fragmentation that has become prominent since teleworking has entered our routines? Contributing to the elasticity of constrained time, telework blends free time with work.

We work and entertain ourselves at the same time from the edge of a swimming pool on the far side of the world! So much so that an American journalist described our era as the era of “holiday-everyday”—holidays every day…

And, finally, since AI is doing the work for us, aren’t we on the verge of a new mutation of working time and, consequently, of leisure time? If analysts are to be believed, we will no longer work as before and, more importantly, employment will necessarily fall!

A Caution About the Contradictions of the Leisure Industry

Read also: an interview excerpt from Marianne magazine with Jean Viard, about Edgar Morin known as the father of “complex thought.”

Jean Viard: “Behind complex thought lies the idea that the West has progressed by separating knowledge. The scientific nature of things has been defined as: mathematics to mathematicians, physics to physicists, etc.

Yet, in his view, the moment has come to bring knowledge together. Deep down, that is, if you wish, the heart of complex thought: we have separated knowledge, but now, to understand the world, we must unify them. We need to reintegrate humanism and values everywhere.”

Journalist, consultant, lecturer, Josette Sicsic has been observing the mutations of the world for more than 25 years to analyze their implications for the tourism sector.

Having developed the Touriscopie journal for over two decades, she remains at the forefront of current events where she decodes the present to anticipate the future. On the site www.tourmag.com, in the Futuroscopie section, she publishes several times a week forward-looking and analytical articles.

Contact: 06 14 47 99 04

Email: [email protected]

The World’s Best Dining Cities for 2026, According to Time Out

June 18, 2026 by Amara Nambinga

When we travel, we love to discover new cultures, traditions, and landscapes. Yet gastronomy also holds a central place in the experience, since it allows us to explore new flavors, spices, and combinations of foods that can sometimes be surprising, reflecting a country’s identity and history. That is why each year Time Out publishes a ranking of the best gastronomic cities for food lovers eager to spark their palates on their next getaway.

This ranking is based on a survey conducted with more than 24,000 residents across 150 cities worldwide, covering the overall quality of the local culinary scene, the cost of restaurant meals, and residents’ favorite addresses. According to Virginia Gil, Time Out’s editor-in-chief in the United States, “the cities on the list are not only today’s gourmet destinations; they are places that have drawn travelers seeking good meals for decades.”

The thousands of responses gathered were then cross-checked with the assessment of Time Out’s culinary experts panel. It is Lima, Peru, that has been crowned the best gastronomic city in 2026 with 70% of the votes. Regarded as the culinary capital of Latin America, this coastal metropolis is particularly renowned for seafood specialties such as ceviche and the cause Limeña, a refined layered cold potato dish.

Only One French City Made the List, And It’s Not Paris

In second place, Bangkok returns for the second year running, whose major culinary asset is its famous street food, illustrating how fully local flavors can express themselves. The Thai city is followed closely by Mexico City, whose culinary scene is a true gastronomic melting pot, where Mexican, Asian, and French influences mingle across many neighborhoods. You’ll also find Michelin-starred restaurants as well as local street markets there.

The ranking continues with, in fourth place, London, regarded as one of the most diverse culinary cities in the world, Barcelona, whose gastronomy bears the strong influence of its Mediterranean heritage, and Ho Chi Minh City, where haute cuisine makes its mark. Australia then appears in seventh position with Melbourne, whose cafés have been named among the city’s highlights. Beij ing, Athens and Lisbon complete the top 10 of this list.

The sole French city on the list is Marseille, occupying the 18th spot. It is acknowledged for a culinary scene already worldwide-renowned and more diverse than ever. Pioneering establishments such as Café des Épices and La Mercerie are particularly cited. Just ahead of it, one finds Cape Town, Osaka, Bangalore, Naples, New York, Hong Kong and Buenos Aires. The final two rungs of the ranking go to Copenhagen and Medellín. The destinations where cuisine is celebrated are thus numerous across the globe.