Year Archives - Com Namibia

Year 10 Internship and Summer Camp: Anglais in France Launches Several New Features (Video)

July 24, 2026 by Amara Nambinga

TourMaG – You are the founder of Anglais in France, but before that you were a teacher. What was your journey?

Jennifer Laur : The path is fairly straightforward. I hold a licence in English and civilization, then I worked as a teacher, both with the national education system and at the Ministry of Agriculture. Later, this led to the creation of Anglais in France in 2008.

TourMaG – How did the idea of creating this agency come about?

Jennifer Laur : With my family, we were host families for English girls coming from a Welsh secondary school. I really enjoyed welcoming these girls into our home and I found this work very interesting.

My mother was in contact with someone who had set up an agency in Versailles, and I already found that sector interesting. Then, with the rise of the Internet, I thought it was the right moment to take action.

TourMaG – At what point did you realize there was a real market?

Jennifer Laur : Being a former civil servant, I didn’t really think in terms of a market. I mainly aimed to do something enjoyable for myself and to please people who wanted to learn English differently.

I also wanted to enable English speakers, mostly British, living in our rural areas to share their culture and their new life in France with the residents of their host country.

We launched a second-year internship called “Bridge’nWork”

TourMaG – Your concept is unusual: 100% English… but in France. How does it work?

Jennifer Laur : The starting idea was to allow French people to connect with Britons living in France who hold a qualification to teach their language. As a teacher, that pedagogical aspect seemed essential.

The goal is to live an “English way” of life without crossing the Channel. These British families also understand cultural differences very well since they themselves are immigrants in France. They know how challenging certain situations can be when you don’t fully master the language or the cultural codes.

TourMaG – Do you address both young people and adults?

Jennifer Laur : Yes, absolutely. The stays start from 12 years old and go up to 80, including students and professionals.

TourMaG – Do you learn English just as well in France as abroad?

Jennifer Laur : It’s not necessarily the same approach. People who choose our stays often seek something very cocooning. We see more and more young people who refuse to go abroad for a first stay and who prefer to stay relatively close to home.

They need to feel reassured, to know they are only a few hundred kilometers from home and that they will be cared for all week within a family setting. There are no transportation logistics to manage, everything happens within a family environment.

TourMaG – What new features are you launching this year?

Jennifer Laur : We have launched a second-year internship called “Bridge’nWork.” It allows high school students to come to our agency in Vazerac, in Tarn-et-Garonne, to practice professional English.

They meet British partners with whom we work daily and discover how Britons build their activity in France: administrative difficulties, language barriers, but also the entire Anglo-Saxon culture of associations.

For example, we have 100% English-language charitable bookstores or associations devoted to protecting stray cats. All of this associative fabric around animals is very developed in the United Kingdom and also represents an interesting cultural contribution.

Summer camps for the younger participants

TourMaG – And for the younger ones?

Jennifer Laur : We have also created a mini summer camp in Vazerac, with a maximum of six youngsters and a native English-speaking animator.

There is always equestrian activity, English outings, and a very rural, family setting. It’s designed for youths who don’t yet feel ready to go abroad on a full family immersion on their own, and who want a first step before a more intensive stay.

TourMaG – CPF training programs are now capped at 1,500 euros. Is that a barrier for you?

Jennifer Laur : Yes, clearly. It compels people to fund a larger portion of their training themselves. We can offer shorter trainings, but it’s a pity because a full week yielded very good results.

We already have an advantage by offering immersion in France. The trainers must have an activity number and be based in France. If they are not auto-entrepreneurs or micro-entrepreneurs, they must hold Qualiopi certification, which is very challenging for language schools located abroad.

TourMaG – Does offering stays in France shield you more from the current geopolitical context?

Jennifer Laur : Yes, without a doubt. We haven’t seen a drop in demand; on the contrary, we think it could rise this year.

Our clients look for something very specific. The market has matured: people know exactly what they want and what they don’t want. Usually, when they contact us, they book a stay.

TourMaG – Yet the language-stay market has struggled since Covid…

Jennifer Laur : Yes, the sector is generally struggling, but it depends a lot on destinations and the types of stays offered. We are in a period of transformation. Young people may want something different today, and we must reinvent the language stay of tomorrow.

TourMaG – How do you specifically imagine the language stay in ten years?

Jennifer Laur : Very honestly, I don’t foresee it clearly. We discuss this a lot with my colleagues at UNOSEL, and it’s hard to project. Everything evolves very fast, just like travel agencies or tour operators. We must stay attentive to market evolutions and try to sense where the wind is blowing. Today, projecting ten years ahead is difficult.

TourMaG – And how do you see your company evolving?

Jennifer Laur : We picture ourselves remaining a two-person team. We don’t aim to expand the agency beyond measure. The idea is above all to continue doing what we enjoy and to satisfy our clients. We like developing new products to adapt to the market, but we want to stay in France, notably to preserve the closeness with the host families we meet in person every two years. Human quality and tailor-made experiences remain essential for us.

TourMaG – Are your clients loyal?

Jennifer Laur : Extremely so. Today we welcome younger siblings, cousins of former participants, and the like. Families find us mainly through Google and increasingly via AI. But more than anything, people want to speak directly with the founders. They seek that human contact.

We simply explain what we do, and if they connect with the concept, they book a stay.

China: Year of the Fire Horse Boosts Tourism Numbers [ABO]

July 2, 2026 by Amara Nambinga

Les autorités chinoises anticipent un record de 9,5 milliards de trajets passagers sur la période de 40 jours entourant les festivités du Nouvel An - DepositPhotos.com, yuliang11

CroisiEurope

As the chunyun period, the annual peak for travel tied to the Chinese New Year, has just begun in 2026, domestic tourism is experiencing the most spectacular yearly surge.

Rush to trains, to planes, to highways… The nine days of holidays granted to Chinese workers represent a golden opportunity to pack bags, hit the road, and visit family. And they indicate staggering crowds in transit hubs and at the legendary tourist sites.

Already, Chinese authorities are forecasting a record of 9.5 billion passenger trips over the 40-day period surrounding the festivities, up from 9.02 billion last year.

This speaks to the health of a sector that the government is keen to support in order to offset its tepid economic performance.

Also read: Young Chinese rediscover their traditions

Many foreign visitors

But resident populations are not the only ones elbowing their way through crowds and queuing for hours in shops.
From abroad, many visitors choose to come to China to experience the Spring Festival. Among them, the diaspora remains eager to return home.

Also read our series dedicated to diasporas
In the crowded streets of many cities, there are tastings of local specialties, traditional performances, festive customs, markets, popular parades, lit lanterns, etc. Immersion in a millennial culture is both vibrant and warm and guarantees a change of scenery. “It is also an ideal way to start the New Year,” newspapers claim.

For another proof of this momentum: according to data from the travel platform Qunar, the number of domestic flights booked during the New Year holidays by travelers with non-Chinese passports rose by nearly 30% year over year.

Korea, Singapore, Russia…

According to the head of public affairs at the travel platform Ctrip, Malaysia, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, Japan and Russia are among the main origins of visitors.

It should be noted that visa exemption policies covering 76 countries are playing a decisive role in this rebound: bookings from Russia alone soared by 471%, while trips by Korean tourists rose by 95% during the Spring Festival period.

Starting February 17, 2026, the Middle Kingdom has decided to extend its visa-exemption policy to ordinary passport holders from Canada and the United Kingdom. A measure set to last through the end of 2026.

The Chinese outbound market is rebounding

A major bottleneck

This two-way flow of travel to and from China, one of the defining features of the 2026 Chinese New Year, should not obscure that people from other nationalities are also traveling, notably Vietnamese, Thai, and Singaporean travelers who are pouring into neighboring destinations of the Middle Kingdom and creating traffic jams all around the region, and a novelty: scattering into the mountains as well.

Snow, the White Gold, to attract both domestic and international tourists

Important and forward-looking: the development of mountain tourism is spectacular.

For populations in Southeast Asia, now is the ideal moment to come to China and breathe the mountain air, enjoying leisure activities such as hiking and taking in exceptional panoramas.

Among them, Sichuan emerges as the most popular destination for travelers from Singapore, Malaysia, but also Indonesia, Thailand and even Australia where winters are increasingly warm.

For example, the newspaper China Daily notes the success of the “Dagu Glacier scenic area,” which drew nearly 140,000 visitors. According to border crossing data, one and a half million travelers crossed the border on December 2, 2025, a 48% increase.

In Harbin, one of the world’s largest ice and snow parks, during the 2024-2025 season, 90 million visitors were welcomed, including many Russians, Japanese and Koreans—about 20,000 per day. A record celebrated with international awards and explained by new direct air links and the opening of new facilities and activities.

In any case, the city claims revenues around $22 billion USD! A performance reflected in the growing enthusiasm for skiing. Had the Chinese leader promised to put 400 million people on the pistes?

A five-year strategy

If the Chinese press attaches so much importance to these movements, according to a leading researcher at the Tongcheng Institute of Research, this dynamic can be explained by several factors, including the rising value of the Chinese passport, the proliferation of visa-exemption agreements, and the improvement of international air connections from numerous Chinese cities.

He also notes that Chinese culture is generating increasing interest among young people abroad. “The Chinese New Year, as the most important traditional festival, naturally attracts those who want to experience an authentic encounter at the heart of Chinese culture,” he explains.

Meanwhile, the tourism minister recalls that 2026 marks the starting point of a five-year tourism development plan designed to raise the offer to international standards. Sources www.xinhuanet.com

Finally, remember that after a 2025 year guided by the Wooden Snake, 2026 is the Year of the Fire Horse—a remarkable convergence that occurs only once every 60 years!

Josette Sicsic, journalist, consultant, lecturer, has been observing the shifts of the world for more than 25 years to analyze their impact on the tourism sector.

After developing Touriscopie for over two decades, she remains at the frontline of current events, decoding the present to forecast the future. On the site www.tourmag.com, in the Futuroscopy section, she publishes several times a week forward-looking and analytical articles.

Contact: 06 14 47 99 04

Email: [email protected]

Record Year for Canada’s Largest Travel Trade Show

June 22, 2026 by Amara Nambinga

Stand de Destination Canada au salon Rendez-vous Canada 2026 © Destination Canada

CroisiEurope

Rendez-vous Canada est le plus grand salon touristique professionnel organisé par Destination Canada, l’office de tourisme du pays.

« In three days of meetings in Toronto, more than 60,000 appointments took place between international buyers and Canadian sellers, generating CAD 100 million in sales. » Gloria Loree, Senior Vice President of Marketing Strategy and Chief Marketing Officer for Destination Canada.

More than 500 international buyers traveled, 100 more than last year, from 24 countries including Destination Canada’s nine strategic markets: France as well as the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, Japan, China, South Korea, and Mexico. The invited buyers represent tour operators, travel agencies, OTAs and Canadian receptive operators.

Fifteen French buyers traveled to Toronto

Among the fifteen French buyers attending Rendez-vous Canada this year were the major players in travel distribution and tailor-made journeys: Cercle des Voyages, eDreams ODIGEO, FRAM, Imagine Canada / JMB Voyages, Interkal’Air, Kuoni / Vacances Fabuleuses, La Route des Voyages, lastminute.com, Les Maisons du Voyage, Naar, Travel Abroad and Voyage Privé.

One of them, Antony Enault, explains: “As Head of North America Production at Cercle des Voyages, I find Rendez-vous Canada essential for developing new partnerships with Canadian suppliers, discovering the latest trends in North American tourism, and enriching our product range through direct exchanges with key players in the Canadian travel industry.”

This French delegation illustrates the growing interest of the hexagonal market for a destination that focuses on authentic, immersive experiences deeply connected to nature, vast spaces, and human encounters that define Canada’s identity.

A strategic meeting for tourism professionals

The event is built on pre-scheduled ten-minute business meetings between buyers and sellers. An efficient organization that allows professionals to concentrate months of sales prospecting into just a few days.

“This year, buyers were able to meet more than 900 sellers representing 628 Canadian companies: destinations, receptive operators, accommodations, carriers and experience providers from across the provinces and territories. It’s a unique opportunity!” comments Cyrielle Bon, Chief Executive Officer of Destination Canada in France.

In addition to the business meetings, participants could discover the province of Ontario through several familiarization trips before and after the fair, and through tours of Toronto during the event. These programs allowed international buyers to experience authentic experiences, open to nature and the human encounters that characterize the Canada brand.

Toronto and the province of Ontario: a showcase of contemporary Canada

A cosmopolitan city and international gateway to the country, with direct air access from France, Toronto provides an ideal setting for urban explorers. A multicultural and dynamic metropolis, it fully embodies the image of modern Canada: open, creative, and oriented toward human experiences.

Wildlife watching, slow mobility, nature-based accommodations, Indigenous experiences, and multi-activity stays were among the products most sought by the French buyers in Toronto.

The host city treated them well: it is an ideal starting point for exploring Ontario, with Niagara Falls and wineries just 1.5 hours by road; the Muskoka chalet region 2 hours north; exploring lakes, rivers and streams on the way to Kingston and Gananoque toward the neighboring province of Quebec; and of course a visit to Canada’s federal capital: Ottawa!

Meetings scheduled for 2027

Rendez-Vous Canada 2027 will celebrate the event’s 50th anniversary: we look forward to welcoming many of you from April 28 to May 1, 2027 in Calgary, Alberta!

Travel agencies, OTAs, and tour operators based in metropolitan France, please contact Maryse Normandeau, head of trade partnerships for Destination Canada in France: [email protected]. She will provide you with all the essential information to plan your visit to this fair.

Didier Arino (Protourisme): This Year, Price Is More Important Than Ever as the No. 1 Criterion

June 9, 2026 by Amara Nambinga

Didier Arino (Protourisme) : "le prix, premier critère de choix des vacances" - Photo Protourisme

Dream Yacht

TourMaG – We’re in early June, and indicators from travel operators are not in the green. Where do we stand on the latest figures?

Didier Arino: First, let’s review the annual figures. For 2026, 40.2 million French people say they have gone on vacation or intend to go, which is 2 million fewer than in 2024.

For the summer, we moved from 800,000 canceling trips abroad to 1.5 million. Of the 10 million who had considered traveling abroad, that represents nearly 16%, and while that number may seem large, it is quoted as 16% in quotation marks.

When I say they are giving up on traveling abroad, we should also view this trend with caution. Some have renounced the foreign destination they initially envisaged, notably in Asia, but they remain uncertain. They say they are abandoning their stay as planned, but that does not mean they will not choose, at the last moment, a closer destination in Europe.

The trend of “less far, cheaper, shorter”

TourMaG – Do these figures show up in bookings?

Didier Arino: Summer bookings remain subdued compared to previous years across most categories of accommodation, with the exception of camping, whose activity remains steady but not rising.

The trend of “ less far, cheaper, shorter ” is being confirmed. Vacationers are increasingly favouring destinations located about three hours from home, typically near major tourist catchment areas.

Accordingly, Lyon residents are leaning more toward the mountains, Ardèche, or the Occitan coast, Parisians toward the Norman and Breton coasts, while people in the North prefer the coast of Pas-de-Calais. This dynamic could penalize farther destinations, especially in the south of France, with the exception of areas like the Côte d’Azur that attract international clients.

TourMaG – Industry professionals are now waiting for last-minute sales. Will they trigger?

Didier Arino: For now, operators are indeed waiting for it to trigger… In my view, vacationers know there is still availability nearly everywhere and will therefore wait until the very last moment. If you’re leaving the following week, you might wait to know the weather forecast. This is, indeed, what we observed during the long weekends in May.

On the weekend when we had the heatwave, operators were at full capacity. There is also a psychological aspect at play: fuel under two euros per liter. For a single trip, this can amount to around twenty euros. In itself, it does not fundamentally alter the situation, but psychologically, the impact is enormous for consumers.

For the summer and last-minute bookings, the question remains whether they will manage to fully offset the delay observed so far. But with fewer people taking shorter stays… I don’t see how we could do better…

There will be good deals to be had!

TourMaG – The vacation budget is following the same downward curve…

Didier Arino: Yes, the vacation budget is down by 150 euros. There will be a problem of consumption within tourist spaces: places of visits, paid activities, shops, restaurants… We see this in the trade-offs; vacationers will be very cautious.

TourMaG – Operators have launched flexible offers; could this boost demand?

Didier Arino: What was very poor to start with was airline communication. They first announced the implementation of fuel surcharges. In consumers’ minds, this added to the worries tied to the context and the risks of kerosene shortages. Naturally, this discourages booking. In the end, this communication, combined with rising tariffs, ended up destroying demand.

Now, tariffs are falling… There will inevitably be good deals to be had! Operators are right to promote because price sensitivity is decisive.

This year, price is proving to be more than ever the number one criterion. According to our survey, 71% of vacationers consider it decisive in their choice. We have moved away from a value-for-money logic or the search for experience and pleasure. Today, the dominant criterion is price above all.

For the French, holidays remain essential but they must be affordable

TourMaG – All observers agree that the sector is resilient and that the desire to travel remains intact… Do you share this view given what we’ve just discussed?

Didier Arino: Holidays remain deeply rooted in the French way of life. Despite budget constraints, they continue to allocate an important share to travel. 55% of them say they are making sacrifices in other spending categories to be able to go, including food, home equipment, clothing, or even automobiles.

The reality, however, is that vacations are financed with what is left after all bills are paid. If every month you spend more on fuel, heating, or food, you inevitably have less money available to travel.

A CSP+ couple will not change their vacation for an extra 50 euros. But for a peri-urban family that has to drive long distances daily, pay for daycare, and absorb daily price increases, those 50 euros can make the difference. They are the ones who will adjust their vacation plans, or even rethink them completely.

This does not mean vacations are less important for these households. However, they may arbitrate differently: replacing a paid stay with free or low-cost activities, shortening the stay, or opting for two days at a leisure park to please the children. When 40% of vacationers modify their plans in this way, it inevitably affects the entire tourism ecosystem.

For the French, vacations remain essential but they must be affordable.

Vacationers tend to downgrade. The most upscale mobile homes are hard to fill, while there has never been as many bookings for bare pitches in campsites. In furnished rentals, it is mainly the mid-range and budget segments that are thriving. As for holiday villages, most are experiencing delayed bookings.

Contrary to what some sector players claim, the situation is not as favorable as they imply. At the same time, there is a rising prominence of short stays. At Center Parcs, for example, three- or four-day stays are expanding. The French continue to travel, but for shorter durations. The obvious consequence: the number of nights and long stays is likely to fall this summer, even if the total number of stays may not drop.

TourMaG – Luxury travel specialists also feel a chill. Prudence seems to be the watchword for business leaders, who are also constrained by the economic context.

Didier Arino: It’s a reality… Some scale back, others think that with France’s deficit they will be taxed more and more, and then there is fear of the future… in short, this creates a kind of attrition.

In the business world, particularly among those directly exposed to the market, worry is real. Added to that are all sectors tied to real estate, which suffer from slower transactions and, consequently, a drop in activity. Retail is also heavily affected, with increasing difficulties and business failures.

There remain, within the partner networks, doctors, people who work in finance, tech and AI… Even accountants or lawyers are cautious. We have entered a recessionary cycle intensified by fear of tomorrow. Sometimes it’s irrational, but one thing is certain, the post-COVID euphoria is over.

And this could last, because 2027 is an election year with presidential elections.