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Atlantic Airways Expands Faroe Islands Service from Paris

July 3, 2026 by Amara Nambinga

La compagnie Atlantic Airways renforce l’attractivité des Îles Féroé - Depositphotos.com @Ivankmit

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The Faroe Islands are gaining visibility in the French market.

Since April 24, 2026, Atlantic Airways has been operating a seasonal direct link between Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Vágar Airport.

After a start with two weekly frequencies, the carrier has shifted to three flights per week since May 27, 2026, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, until September 4. The service will then continue at two rotations per week until October 16, 2026.

The stated objective is to meet growing demand for nature-based destinations that remain pristine and easily accessible from France.

With a non-stop flight time of 2 hours 40 minutes, the Paris–Vágar link places the Faroe Islands among the territories closest to the European Far North.

For a long time kept off the European tourist circuits, the Faroe Islands are now attracting travelers seeking more immersive experiences, away from saturated destinations.

A destination oriented toward more responsible tourism

Spring and early summer are the best periods for exploring the archipelago: increased daylight, optimal hiking conditions, and easier access to maritime excursions.

In this context, Visit Faroe Islands continues to promote a more responsible approach to tourism through its campaign “Please Visit Responsibly”.

This initiative encourages visitors to adopt respectful behaviors: protect wildlife, close gates, reduce noise levels, and favor local operators.

A move backed by Atlantic Airways, which invites its passengers to inform themselves about these best practices before their departure.

In addition to this seasonal direct link, the airline also provides annual connectivity via Copenhagen in partnership with Air France, thereby strengthening the archipelago’s accessibility from several European markets.

Published by Amelia Brille TourMaG.com Editor
See all articles by Amelia Brille

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Cocooning, Overtourism, and Digital Nomads: Neologisms Shaping Foresight

July 3, 2026 by Amara Nambinga

Cocooning, surtourisme, digital nomads... les néologismes au service de la prospective ? - Depositphotos.com Auteur artursz

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Among the champions of the genre, the term “cocooning” has taken the spotlight. It is all the more emblematic because, since its creation by Faith Popcorn’s forecasting firm (the brain reserve) in the 1990s, it has been understood across generations and has a knack for never going out of fashion.

It hardly fades, and this is reinforced by the Covid lockdowns, when a notion of “neo-cocooning” emerged. This represents a trend of retreating to one’s home that, at the same time, becomes multifunctional: work, entertainment, sport…

Another major success is the term “surtourism” or “hypertourism” denoting the negative impacts of tourism on territories and tourist sites. Repeated in unison, often exaggerated, this term even has its opposite: “undertourism”, which has not gained notoriety. And yet, “undertourism” exists indeed and is definitively more widespread than “surtourism”.

But it is less surprising, therefore less used by media seeking the spectacular.

Slow Tourism, Glamping… and Staycations!

Immense succès aussi pour le “slow tourism” born in Italy from the Slow Food movement which, as early as the 1980s, solidified a tendency to return to a slower life and tempo, especially in the realms of food, transport, and tourism.

Still widely used, this term marked a revolution that is undeniably lasting.

In another category, that of neologisms built around tourism styles, we find the “glamping”. A contraction of the words glamour and camping, signifying the emergence of luxury camping offerings. A real development, indeed progressing, deserving a specific label that has only one flaw: its sound.

The “couch-surfing”, describing a free way to travel from couch to couch, is also well recognized. Yet this activity is waning and tends to disappear.

The “staycations” are experiencing a committed trajectory? Less well understood, the compound term formed from stay (to stay) and cation (vacation) nonetheless constitutes a real trend, consisting of taking one’s holidays at home. It is not going to be reduced.

In the same vein, there are the “coolcations” which refer to budget-friendly vacations during heatwaves. A trend that will grow and will likely boost the appeal of Nordic destinations.

Traveller Styles

In the series of compound words describing vacation and traveler styles, “back packers” have been known for more than half a century. Often replaced in France by the term “routard”, they remain very present on roads worldwide. Denoting a travel accessory, they even precede “globe-trotters”. Another historical neologism.

New, thanks to Forbes magazine and its Global Nomad Index (as well as Skyscanner’s travel trends), the “Glomads” could this year gain some popularity. Signifying a highly connected population, traveling year-round with their laptops in hand, they do not differ greatly from the generation of “Digital natives” or “Digital nomads” identified by many destinations that consequently promote their welcome (Thailand, Canary Islands, Portugal).

In the same vein, the term “workation”—indicating the same mix of work and vacation—is more used by English speakers. It does not become popular in France, probably due to its awkward sound.

While the term “Bleisure”, though repeatedly mentioned by the media, does not take off either. Barely audible to Francophone ears, it fails to emphasize the combination of “business” with “leisure”. Yet the trend is there and will endure, especially as a well-established term is added: “remote workers”, i.e., teleworkers.

Another emergence is “JOMO” (Joy of Missing Out), describing individuals who proudly express their joy at skipping highly common experiences and activities. They stand in opposition to “FOMO” (Fear of Missing Out).

Some Developments in the Pipeline

Noting that nocturnal tourism has long constituted a large portion of the tourist offer (bars, nightclubs, concerts, parties…), the term “Noctourism” is trying to spread. For now, it still struggles to gain traction, but after-sunset experiences, notably those related to the sky, the stars, the northern lights, and full-moon nights, will develop. But beware, the “me mooning”—referring to those who want the full moon for themselves—gathers more and more followers.

The “Land snorkelling”, a recent trend describing a contemplative exploration of the landscape on the ground, just as one would snorkel in water (creative vocabulary used in 2025 travel trends), could also have a bright future. Just like “Micro-adventures”, which have always existed but needed a fresh twist!

The “Townsizing”, a tendency to choose smaller towns or communities as destinations rather than large metropolises, is also waiting in the wings to establish itself. But, more in Anglo-Saxon countries.

As for “Regenerative Tourism”, it has started a relatively bright career even though it hardly exists yet. An achievement that can be explained by a genuine traveler tendency not to degrade the environment and to practice sustainable tourism by picking up litter and leaving no traces of their passage. But who really does it? One might speak of “crypto trends”.

The “set jetting”, for its part, is undeniably in vogue. Denoting tourism practiced on film and TV shooting locations, it must be admitted that it is increasingly and very broadly media-covered.

Will the Coastline Survive Climate Disruptions?

July 3, 2026 by Amara Nambinga

Le littoral va-t-il survivre aux désordres climatiques ? - Photo JS

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What made our country a pioneer in the legal field concerning coastal zones. Pioneer, certainly, but exemplary? Perhaps not! One more time, we pay the price of years of carefree neglect. Worse still! Those times when we knew better but where the economy took precedence!

People talk a lot about the mountains and their troubled future while the coast, the most beautiful tourist jewel of the Hexagon and many other destinations, is rarely mentioned. Yet, one could live without the mountains in winter but much less so without the sea and its coastlines which continue to be the vacationers’ favorite summer destination… but which are becoming increasingly vulnerable. What is happening? And what happened?

In fact, although celebrated, the anniversary of the Coastal Law is no longer enough. Adopted on January 7, 1986, unanimously, the law aimed to regulate urbanization of attractive yet vulnerable territories such as coastal areas, and rests and still rests on the fight against the proliferation of new constructions, concreting, and soil artificialization. All within a 100-meter wide strip from the shore.

Pertinent and courageous, this legislation arrived, it seems, a little late. It arrived not only after privileged people settled along the seafront with exceptional panoramas, but also and above all at the end of the major coast development missions.

Launched by a state keen to develop the territory by promoting tourism and economic development, the Racine mission for example began in June 1963 with the aim of bringing to life in Languedoc Roussillon no fewer than seven seaside towns that would become among the most popular in Europe.

Within twenty years, Gruissan and Port Leucate in Aude, Port Camargue in Gard, La Grande-Motte and Cap d’Agde in Hérault, Port Barcarès and Saint-Cyprien in Pyrénées-Orientales were born.

On the Atlantic coast: the same strategy. The Interministerial Mission for the Development of the Atlantic Coast (MIACA) was tasked with defining the tourist development of the Atlantic littoral. In two decades, from 1967 to 1988, newcomers like Hourtin, Seignosse, Carcan Maubuisson … became the locomotives of a booming seaside tourism and a housing demand just as prolific.

Globally, according to INSEE, housing in metropolitan France rose from 19 million in 1970 to 36.6 million in 2019. This gives an idea of the scale of the projects and the needs of a growing population that continues to drive the coastal housing stock, which also increased by 45% over the period 1990-2019!

Forty years on, what assessment?

Certes, le littoral avait besoin d’être aménagé de façon méthodique, selon des plans ambitieux mais raisonnés, au contraire de ce que subissaient au même moment les côtes espagnoles de la Costa Brava à la Costa del Sol ou les Côtes italiennes de l’Adriatique et déjà celles de Tunisie…

Autant de littoraux qui rêvaient de ce nouvel or bleu capable d’améliorer leur cadre de vie, ouvrir leur pays, accumuler des recettes et générer des centaines de milliers d’emplois de taille à sortir de la pauvreté une partie de la population.

Quant aux ports de plaisance jusque-là plutôt rares, they also began to proliferate along our shores to develop a democratization and densification of a boating activity: nautical tourism.

A ce jour, environ 500 ports ont été construits dans notre pays avec les logements adaptés, often marinas modeled on the American pattern and all the necessary public spaces to host an increasingly motorized public, demanding parking and other commercial spaces.

A lack of foresight

Where is the problem? In fact, France like others, blinded by the mirage of a society in full transition, did not anticipate the changes that some were already warning about.

Wasn’t René Dumont a candidate in the 1974 presidential election under the ecological banner?

A major milestone in the political discourse of the time and the first battles against the excesses of coastal urbanization elsewhere, which also manifested itself through a significant initiative: the creation of the Conservatoire du Littoral in 1975.

A national public administrative body whose mission is to pursue a land policy to safeguard the coastal space, to respect natural sites, and to maintain ecological balance….

It continues today its work of acquisition and preservation, which must be acknowledged as having saved many coastal areas from bulldozers, and you can consult it on the excellent site of the conservatory.

A progressive growth of the housing stock between 1990 and 2020

The metropolitan coastline housing stock comprises 4.7 million dwellings, of which 66% are primary residences, 28% secondary residences, and 6% vacant homes.

Brought down to municipal area, the density of housing along the coast is 3.2 times higher than the metropolitan average (206 dwellings per km2 versus 64 dwellings per km2 for the country as a whole).

The Mediterranean coast concentrates the largest number of dwellings (2.3 million), followed by the North Atlantic–English Channel coast (1.2 million), the East Channel–North Sea (0.7 million) and the South Atlantic (0.5 million).

Sources Data Lab. Ministère de la transition écologique

The coast in a few figures

Journalist, consultant, speaker, Josette Sicsic has been observing for more than 25 years the shifts in the world to analyze their consequences for the tourism sector.

After developing for more than 20 years the Touriscopie journal, she remains at the heart of current affairs where she decodes the present to forecast 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]

Do Museums Have a Future, and Which One Will It Be? [ABO]

July 3, 2026 by Amara Nambinga

Les grands musées sont devenus en deux décennies les vitrines culturelles de destinations qui en étaient privées - DepositPhotos.com, quadrio

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The Louvre’s recent missteps, brought to the attention of media around the world, bring back to the table the importance of these private, public, national, and municipal institutions that give a destination its fame and the delights of a broad audience comprised of tourists as well as local visitors.

An importance all the more evident since some institutions, like the largest museum that claims to be the Louvre, can falter.

Lootings raise questions about security. Strikes, the discomfort of indispensable staff who are often undertrained and underpaid, tarnish the image of the museum institution.

As for the abundance of crowds too often poorly managed, and the admission fees that can be prohibitively high, they constitute other problems common to the “stars” of the profession.

Thirty-two euros now for non-European visitors is a lot. Way too much! No discounts for seniors, which is unacceptable when our British neighbors or farther afield, in Brazil, offer seniors free admission!

And what about those over 26? They pay full price! Expensive, too expensive!

Audiences: Key Figures

– 56% of French people visited a museum, an exhibition, or a heritage site in 2024 (versus 51% in 2023) ;

– One in five French people took part in at least one free museum or heritage event in 2024, such as the European Heritage Days, the European Night of Museums, or Nuit Blanche;

– 65% of museum or heritage site visitors believe that Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools can be a valuable complement to traditional devices (labels, audio guides, screens, apps, etc.);

– the appeal of paid immersive experiences is confirmed: 14% of visitors say they have visited an exhibition with a paid immersive route at least once in their life (+5 points compared to the previous survey).

Sources: 2025 Museum and Heritage Audiences Barometer, conducted by Test and the Gece Institute.

The Bilbao Effect: The Tourism Showpiece

Nevertheless, highly visible and prominent in promotional campaigns, the great museums have become in two decades the cultural showcases of destinations that were previously deprived, and they continue to lure not only the public but also elected officials who aspire to turn their cities into a tourist capital.

Whether we like it or not, the formidable silhouette of the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao designed by architect Frank Gehry has become so iconic that it sparked a architectural race with new entrants such as the Confluences in Lyon, the MUCEM in Marseille, the Louvre Abu Dhabi, the National Museum of Qatar in Doha by Jean Nouvel, and many others across Saudi Arabia, the USA, and China.

Having become a destination in its own right whose success remains undiminished, the museum has entered both tourist and local practices. Thus, about sixty national museums in France recorded 12 million visitors, a historic record.

The Louvre alone turns around 9 million entries. The museums of the city of Paris also progressed, drawing more than 5 million visitors.

These performances are likely to be surpassed thanks to more dynamic and effective strategies unveiled at the latest Museum Connections, featuring debates, roundtables, and various presentations. Too numerous to list, we will highlight a few.

The Museum for Everyone: A Living Space and Cultural Hub

The focus on accessibility for people with disabilities, a cornerstone for museums for decades, is the visible part of the progress made toward diverse audiences, and that is all to the good.

Moreover, the museum, once perceived as standoffish and closed to more popular crowds, has become a kind of lively place and cultural center for a city or a district.

Through animations, performances, creative workshops, conferences, trips, organized tours… the museum becomes even more attractive by offering an unmissable shop, well stocked with books, magazines, many of which are children’s titles. A smart way to foster loyalty.

As for cafés, tea rooms, and restaurants, they have made enough efforts to become genuine meeting spaces. Their design, menus, and even pricing make them competitive additions.

Museums and Health: A New Role with High Expectations

Spotlight on Museum Connections 2026

Claire de Longeaux, director of Museum Connections, is pleased.

For its thirtieth edition, the excellent fair, which took place on January 13 and 14, 2026, at the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles, progressed notably in the number of exhibitors — 404, of which 40% were international, including Chinese and American participants.

On the visitor side, the tally reached around 6,000 attendees, with 20% foreign participants. It must be said that the success is all the more deserved as the show asks the right questions at the right moments and provides relevant answers to professionals who have been a bit unsettled by ongoing innovations.

« It was a very friendly show, says the director, which facilitated exchanging experiences, especially in terms of welcoming audiences.

Public managers were numerous and eager to share with their peers ideas, strategies, and effective methods. The roundtables and debates were lively and engaging.

Unlike Sitem (International Museum Exhibition, ndlr), which is very oriented toward museum equipment, our show focuses on the visitor experience. Before, during, and after…”

The next edition is planned for January 12 and 13, 2027.

Journalist, consultant, lectrice, Josette Sicsic has been observing the shifts in the world for over 25 years to analyze their consequences for the tourism sector.

After developing Touriscopie for more than 20 years, she remains at the forefront of current affairs, decoding the present to forecast the future. On the site www.tourmag.com, in the Futuroscopie section, she publishes several times a week foresight and analytical articles.

Contact: 06 14 47 99 04

Email: [email protected]

Well-Being: Spectacular and Ongoing Growth [ABO]

July 3, 2026 by Amara Nambinga

Les jeunes consommateurs de bien-être sont de plus en plus nombreux et apprécient de plus en plus les séjours wellness - DepositPhotos.com, serhii.bobyk.gmail.com

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The reasons why the wellness sector is booming are multiple, but they share common threads.

From one nationality to another, from one country to another, they reflect the malaise of a society that increasingly distrusts a salvific future and focuses on its physical and mental health to combat the onslaught of all kinds of aggressions that the media broadcast in abundance. Whether true or false!

In this peculiar era of generalized tipping points, where many lose their bearings, the McKinsey Institute, among others, offers a series of trends worth knowing for any professional involved in this sector.

Premier point : les demandes s’uniformisent de plus en plus

With the power of the Web and social networks behind it, the same wellness sensitivity and demand are expressed from country to country.

Yes, the Chinese, the Koreans, the Brazilians, the French… and other nationalities are in search of “survival kits,” arrangements, cures, and services that could relieve them.

Admittedly, the cultural history of wellness in each country influences the market. But overall, each country displays comparable offerings.

La santé en six secteurs phares

Néanmoins, notons que cette uniformité se reflète dans une classification mettant en évidence six secteurs :

– the general health that everyone holds above all else ;

– suiv the sleep which, battered by modern life, is missing for many of us ;

– the nutrition, for its part, has never been more obsessive, especially among the more advantaged categories ;

– physical fitness has become mandatory: one must feel good in one’s skin and not show weaknesses in a world that evokes slowness but continues to live at high speed ;

– appearances, therefore the beauty domain, also counts enough to devote time and money to preserve and enhance them. Whether young or older ;

– mindfulness, finally, is taking more and more space in the wellness toolkit. Inspired by Eastern therapies and extreme Eastern approaches, it constitutes a full field of its own of which only a small portion has been explored and offered seriously.

Offers that could be addressed by the tourism sector in a more aggressive way, instead of being confined to increasingly luxurious but increasingly standardized hotel spa offerings.

What difference is there between the services and treatments of a Marrakech spa and a Thai spa? Even their design and interior architecture do not differentiate them. And only a few tour operators offer an innovative range of stays tailored to this type of demand.

Also read: Wellness and spas: a burst of creativity and seriousness

Les jeunes deviennent des cœurs de cible

Another important trend: generations, and especially the young.

Hounded by marketing that does not stop at traditional promotion networks but pours heavily onto social media, young wellness consumers are growing in numbers.

According to the McKinsey study, while Gen Z and millennials account for a little over a third (36%) of the adult population in the United States, they generate more than 41% of annual wellness-related spending.

By comparison, consumers aged 58 and older account for 35% of the population but only 28% of wellness spending.

A massive share that continues to rise by about 5-6% year over year!

Une mosaïque de consommateurs

Once these generalities are laid out, let us note, as always, that despite commonalities, a finer segmentation is necessary, underscoring the extreme need to monitor demand to respond to it.

What is it, again according to McKinsey?

1. The confident adherents: the least numerous

They represent the smallest share of wellness consumers (11%) and 15% of market spend, although they place great importance on wellness. But, more secure than the maximalist optimizers, they are obsessed with fitness, buy gym memberships, fitness apps, home equipment and sports nutrition products more frequently than other consumer groups. They also tend to conduct thorough research before buying wellness solutions, but remain loyal to what suits them once found. To attract these demanding and passionate consumers, it is best to offer them solid, serious deals comparable to what they use at home. They will not forgive average-quality tourism offers, risking to penalize their fitness programs.

2. The health traditionalists: a bit older

These are generally older consumers, mindful of their health and well-being, but who favor simplicity and practicality. They account for 20% of wellness product consumers and 13% of market spending. Their priority is healthy eating, taking vitamins and dietary supplements, and regular physical activity. They are, however, less open to experimentation or new technologies and solutions, such as weight-management prescriptions, telemedicine services or AI-based products. To win their trust, it is essential to meet their expectations. They are unlikely to buy a wellness product simply because it is new or trendy. Conversely, adherents of a traditional health approach focus on nutrition labels and ingredient lists. Wellness industry players must therefore adjust their positioning accordingly and emphasize high-quality natural ingredients where relevant.

3 and 4. The frail and those with health issues

Finally, these two groups (not exactly the same) account for 24% and 20% of consumers, and 22% and 10% of market spending, the smallest share of all groups. Tending to be stressed about their health and lacking motivation, particularly to maintain or lose weight, these people have “well-being” goals but struggle more to achieve them. It is therefore essential to make access to health management easier for them and less intimidating. Notably in a vacation setting.

Finally, let us not forget that there is a substantial portion of the population that is completely neglectful of its health and well-being. They pay less attention to health monitoring and buy only the essentials, while being very price-sensitive. They remain nonetheless a target to conquer.

Quid de demain ?

The wellness in its entirety – including thermalism, thalassotherapy, Ayurvedic cures, sleep, and art therapy – is probably the most promising thematic field for tourism development.

With one imperative: quality. Essential to an increasingly informed and demanding consumer, it is indispensable for an increasingly competitive offering.

Also read: New wellness trends seen by Six Senses

Josette Sicsic, journalist, consultant, speaker, has been observing the changes in the world for more than 25 years to analyze their impact on the tourism sector.

After developing the Touriscopie journal for more than 20 years, she remains on the front line of current events where she decodes the present to forecast 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]

Museums and Health: The Rise of Museotherapy [ABO]

July 2, 2026 by Amara Nambinga

Lorsqu’une personne observe une œuvre, des zones cérébrales associées au plaisir et à la relaxation sont activées - DepositPhotos.com, anyaberkut

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Tout le monde a entendu parler du syndrome de Stendhal ?

Celui éprouvé par le célèbre écrivain en visitant la basilique Santa Croce à Florence au cours de laquelle il est passé par un état à mi-chemin entre l’extase esthétique et une transe mystique, au contact des artistes qui en ont signé les splendeurs.

Consacrant la magie dont est capable une œuvre d’art sur nos émotions, ce syndrome qui s’est manifesté chez l’écrivain par toutes sortes de sensations physiques, ne constitue pas qu’une légende.

Le contact avec de beaux paysages, des monuments, des œuvres d’art qu’elles soient musicales ou graphiques, naturelles ou artificielles est indéniablement à la base d’un sentiment de bien-être dont nous avons tous besoin.

D’où la prolifération d’offres culturelles dans les programmes des voyagistes et la forte demande exprimée par bon nombre de touristes de tous âges pour des visites de sites et monuments exposant toutes sortes d’œuvres antiques ou contemporaines témoignant d’une part du génie humain et de l’histoire d’un pays, mais capables, d’autre part, de sublimer le mental de chacun d’entre nous.

Museums and Museotherapy

In the forefront of these places that foster encounters with “the beautiful,” museums are no longer content with simply engaging the public; they now pair the experience with a palette of wellbeing practices capable of multiplying positive sensations in our brain and body.

This is how one can conduct a yoga session or attend a concert or take a simple stroll and feel real benefits.

Where? In any museum, or in those that offer museotherapy workshops such as the Fine Arts Museum in Lille.

Montreal: A Museum on Prescription

C’est cependant historiquement parlant, l’Association des médecins francophones du Canada, en collaboration avec le Musée des Beaux-Arts de Montréal, qui a mis sur pied un projet original qui a permis à des milliers de patients de bénéficier d’une visite au musée, octroyée sur ordonnance, en complément de leurs traitements conventionnels.

Après des expérimentations dans les années 1990-2000, notamment via le programme Meet Me du MoMA destiné aux patients atteints d’Alzheimer, l’initiative canadienne fait de la « muséothérapie » une pratique à part entière, où le musée se transforme en un lieu de soin et de mieux-être.

Dès 2016, Nathalie Bondil, alors directrice du musée et considérée comme une pionnière sur la question, défendait l’idée « qu’au XXIe siècle, la culture sera pour la santé ce que le sport a été au XXe siècle : l’expérience culturelle contribuera au mieux-être, comme la pratique du sport à notre forme physique ».

Bondil, aujourd’hui directrice du musée et des expositions de l’Institut du monde arabe à Paris, enseigne la muséothérapie à l’École du Louvre.

Bruxelles, pour sa part, a été la première ville à lancer des prescriptions muséales en 2022. Sur le même modèle.

Montpellier a suivi et vu naitre le projet Art sur ordonnance. A Paris, le projet Bulle d’Art a réuni Paris Musées et le fonds d’art contemporain pour proposer des méditations guidées devant des œuvre d’art.

Au Louvre-Lens, on expérimente un espace de thérapie comme au Hamo au Palais de Tokyo à Paris… Sans compter les séances de musicothérapie qui, pour leur part, sont plus nombreuses et anciennes.

Lire aussi : « La petite histoire » : un avatar du tourisme de mémoire pour aller mieux

Scientific Evidence

Mais, est-on bien sûr de l’intérêt de cette thérapie ? Eh bien, oui.

Grâce à une étude de l’University College de Londres menée sur un échantillon de 6 000 personnes pendant 12 ans, on a constaté que le taux de mortalité est plus faible chez les personnes qui ont pu fréquenter régulièrement un musée que chez les autres.

Au Japon, un muséologue Izumi Ogata a continué l’expérimentation de 2020 à 2024 avec son projet de bain muséal « Haku/Butsu/Kan/Yoku » en japonais, sur un échantillon de 1 300 personnes. Conclusion : une baisse généralisée de l’anxiété et un ajustement de la pression artérielle.

Plus probant encore, un rapport de l’Organisation mondiale de la santé (OMS) s’est employé à explorer les effets bénéfiques de l’art sur la santé.

Après avoir analysé plus de 900 études internationales, le Bureau régional pour l’Europe de l’institution est catégorique : il confirme la façon dont différentes formes d’arts – littérature, culture, arts de la scène, arts visuels, arts en ligne – peuvent promouvoir la santé.

Du diabète à l’obésité, du stade gestatif à la fin de vie, de la petite enfance jusqu’aux personnes âgées, les arts font bel et bien montre de leurs effets positifs : améliorer le sommeil des enfants avec des histoires au coucher, la prise de décisions des adolescents avec une formation théâtrale, les fonctions cognitives chez les personnes atteintes de démence grâce à la musique, les fonctions motrices chez les patients atteints de Parkinson grâce à la danse…

Bref, les exemples de cette étude parue en 2019 sont légion. Mais, comme le précise Christopher Bailey, responsable des arts et de la santé à l’OMS, « Les arts n’ont pas pour but de guérir – ils ne guérissent pas le cancer. Mais les arts peuvent soigner. »

Lire aussi : Colère, exaspération, dépression : le temps du bien-être actif revient

Tunisia: Fancy a Little Desert? [ABO]

July 2, 2026 by Amara Nambinga

Le désert réunit aujourd’hui toutes les valeurs chères à une société exaspérée par le progrès technologique, le chaos économique et surtout une géopolitique imprévisible - Photo : J.S.

CroisiEurope

Two and a half hours by plane from Paris, thanks to Transavia, and you’re plunged into another world.

A world of sand, pink bricks, dunes, stones, palm trees planted to infinity, from which hang generous clusters of dates considered among the most succulent in the country… and perhaps even in Africa.

Where have we landed? At the (recently renovated) Tozeur-Nefta airport, these two gateways to the great southern Tunisia, which, little by little, seek to surface in travel imaginations and to colonize them.

Not that these destinations have disappeared. Adored by the former Tunisian presidency, Tozeur and its neighbor have known moments of glory and, as early as the 1990s, have seen hotel signs rush in to set the scene for a new tourist destination.

It was a time when Tunisia already sought to diversify its offer.

Saturated on the coast and its beaches (especially appreciated by a French and European clientele), it aimed to develop saharan tourism as other destinations, notably its Maghreb neighbors, were doing.

Algeria was selling excursions into Tassili and Hoggar to trekking enthusiasts, while Morocco was discovering the magnetic draw of its southern reaches beyond Erfoud and Ouarzazate, along the Dra valleys and not far from the Merzouga dunes.

Even Libya began offering desert glamping stays…

The world would be simple if there were only the sky and the earth (A. Malraux)

Certainly, at the turn of the century, the Islamist threat was not yet what it has become.

But, in April 2002, the Djerba synagogue attack, followed by the 2015 attacks on the Bardo Museum and Sousse, were violent and spectacular enough to leave a mark on minds and deter a portion of the destination’s enthusiasts.

In 2015, arrivals fell by about 25% according to ministry figures, reaching their lowest level.

That shows how difficult it has been for the country to rebound and regain the trust of vacationers. Notably French, deemed more cautious than average.

Medical tourism, thalassotherapy, overall well-being, events, sports… There was even talk of Tozeur hosting the second edition of the International Sahara and Oasis Tourism Fair – ISSOT – which was ultimately canceled even though it was meant to contribute to developing tourism in the southern regions by creating new circuits that included archaeological sites still little known!

Tourist arrivals in Tunisia from 2019 to 2025

– 2019: 7,984,596 foreign visitors and 1,444,000 Tunisians living abroad ;

– 2023: 8,134,000 foreign visitors and 1,236,000 Tunisians living abroad ;

– 2025: 9,921,000 foreign visitors and 1,405,000 Tunisians living abroad, for a total of 11,326,000 visitors, including 1,078,000 arrivals from France.

Between dunes and lakes, between oasis and mountains

Fortunately, this defection has not been enough to penalize the landscapes and sublime sites that any visitor can discover on their own or by using the services of a tour operator paired with a receptive agency.

Beyond carriage rides through the oases and palm groves under which it is pleasant to sip a traditional drink while one is guided through the workings of what represents the first local industry: the date, it is especially recommended to leave the capital to immerse oneself in the totally unexpected landscapes of the mountain oases – Chebika, Mides and Tamerza – which can be reached by bus or 4×4 and explored carefully in a maze of gravel, crevassed with gorges and canyons.

The salt lakes from which mirages rise, the gradient of colors tinting the landscape, the rocks and the multitude of desert roses drawn from the depths of the earth, the magic of silence… constitute the first stages of an exploration that can descend much further south toward Tataouine or to the east toward Matmata… and can be done on foot for the more courageous, with nights in bivouac and Saharan staging, as shaped by Western desert imagery.

Dunes, camels, sunsets, Bedouins… And, silence, purity, space, close contact with nature, a minimalist and primitive aesthetic. The desert today gathers all the values dear to a society exasperated by technological progress, economic chaos, and above all an unpredictable geopolitics.

In search of a simple world, humanity seeks its roots and attempts to reconnect with the authenticity of a lost universe where man walked in harmony with God.

Dream hotels and unlimited spas

So shall we go?

According to the regional tourism commissioner, there were up to 16 direct weekly flights to reach Tozeur, including two from Madrid, two from Italy, and the rest from France.

Today, besides the two weekly Transavia flights from Paris, one must fly to Djerba and reach Tozeur in 4 or 5 hours by road. One can also fly to Tunis and then take an internal flight with Tunisair.

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

After developing the Touriscopie journal for over 20 years, she remains at the forefront of current events, decoding the present to forecast the future. On the site www.tourmag.com, in the Futuroscopie section, she publishes prospecting and analytical articles several times a week.

Contact: 06 14 47 99 04

Email: [email protected]

Winter Sports: A Popular Spectacle, Yet a Practice for the Privileged [ABO]

July 2, 2026 by Amara Nambinga

Au niveau national, le ski alpin reste marginal. Il reste surtout l’apanage d’une micro population de 4% de privilégiés - DepositPhotos.com, Gorilla

CroisiEurope

Between Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo and two additional resorts, the Italians mobilized and have already demonstrated, through the opening ceremony of the 2026 Winter Olympics, their organizational prowess and aesthetic genius.

A masterpiece that is already being praised by the international press and drawing an audience estimated at 750,000 people, of whom 60,000 attended the opening.

And this, despite astronomical prices ranging from €250 to €2,000 or more! And while figure skating, the flagship event, shows tickets priced from €250 to €1,200 depending on category.

As for the spectators, expectations run to around 3 billion viewers globally, including social networks.

In the United States alone, 21 million Americans watched the opening ceremony. In France, for the entire event, expectations are approximately 40 to 50 million viewers.

The sole figure skating broadcast on France 2 drew nearly 3 million French viewers. And the opening ceremony captivated around fifteen million viewers with a peak at 7.5 million!

That illustrates how the enthusiasm for major events of this kind continues to grow.

Admittedly, the Winter Games are not as widely followed as the Summer Games. Paris 2024, for instance, would have drawn around 5 billion viewers, while Sochi and Beijing registered a little over 2 billion.

Read also: 2030 Olympics: sporting events, a lever of tourist attractiveness in Provence!

The strengths and weaknesses of major events

To achieve such results, the bill, however, has been steep: €6.6 billion for the Paris Games. And around €5.2 billion for Milano-Cortina.

Knowing that France will stage the next Winter Games (from February 1 to 17, 2030) in the Provence-Alpes-Câte d’Azur and Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes regions, which implies spending at least around €2.1 billion, one can understand why a portion of public opinion protests against what is still seen as a wasteful extravagance by rich nations.

Hence the demonstrations by “eco” activists during much of the events, outraged by the costs but also by the astronomical water and energy expenditures.

As for the inevitable environmental degradations, they will also be hard to justify in the eyes of a portion of the public. And this despite a sustainability commitment that the local and national authorities highlight prominently.

On the other hand, there are a few positives that make such manifestations more acceptable.

The prestige, above all, the reputation, the notoriety of the involved regions which, already on the event sites, should attract 2 million spectators, including 500,000 international visitors who purchased 70% of the tickets.

And, as is now customary, a post-event rebound in the region’s popularity is to be expected.

Only 9% of French people take winter holidays

Nevertheless, the practice of winter sports remains in a country as affluent as France, highly elitist.

After the euphoric decades when white gold was supposed to sustain mountains ravaged by rural depopulation and deindustrialization, climate disruption forecast and announced since the end of the last century has contributed to the current crisis that many prefer not to face.

Despite solid year-end results, some resorts have had no choice but to close doors and figure out where to hide the skeletal remains of their ski lifts, while others are precariously run by volunteers and most are trying to diversify their offerings while awaiting snow-starved winters.

The millions of skiers anticipated since the 1960s did not materialize in mid-mountain resorts irrationally equipped, while only the very high-altitude resorts were deemed winners in the race for white gold.

Despite snow classes, despite a strong presence of social tourism and a sizable influx of foreign skiers drawn to exemplary ski domains, “winter sports participation concerns less than one in ten French people,” according to the Credoc survey on living conditions and aspirations.

Nine percent of the population thus traveled to the mountains in winter 2023 for at least four consecutive nights. A rate very close to the 2010 level, which stood at 8%.

More precisely, still according to the national barometer of sports practices led by Credoc for the DJEPVA (Directorate for Youth and Sports), it is estimated that of the 9% of French people who practiced winter and mountain sports in the past twelve months:

– 4% took up alpine skiing,

-2% cross-country skiing,

-2% snowshoeing,

– 2% sledding,

-2% ski touring,

– 1% ice skating,

-1% snowboarding and other snow-related surfing.

Last point: in terms of age, 66% are under 50, while those over 65 make up only 13%. Between these two age bands, the 50–64 group accounts for 11% of winter holidaymakers.

Read also: Futuroscopy – And if skiing is not dead?

Mountains: an unsettled destiny

Given such statistics, can one afford to be pessimistic about the future as many have become, blaming primarily climate change?

Indeed, the temperatures at the Italian venues since the Games began have been warmer than hoped. Coats and jackets stay unbuttoned and gloves sit in pockets, according to an article in La Repubblica.

Yet, the imagery of winter mountains has not been completely displaced by that of summer mountains and the “winter suns” supposed to guarantee warmth and more affordable prices than skiing. A costly practice, undermined by the price of lift passes and accommodation.

But let us not forget that snow sports, beyond their spectacular display, also showcase human qualities and courage and provide an excellent way to strengthen ties among the populations and regions that host events such as the Winter Olympics. The story continues in 2030 in France…

Sources: Credoc, Atout France, La Repubblica, L’Equipe, France 2, France Info…

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

After developing the Touriscopie journal for over 20 years, she remains at the forefront of current affairs, decoding the present to anticipate the future. On the site www.tourmag.com, in the Futuroscopie section, she publishes prospective and analytical articles several times a week.

Contact: 06 14 47 99 04

Email: [email protected]

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]

Between Cartels, Carnivals, and Soccer: The Reconfiguration of the American Imagination

July 2, 2026 by Amara Nambinga

Les carnavals reflètent à merveille l’histoire humaine, religieuse, artistique d’un continent, tout en lui conférant un outil de promotion touristique puissant - Crédit photo : Embratur

CroisiEurope

This Sunday and Monday, Mexico has demonstrated the insecurity that pervades its stunning landscapes, seaside resorts, and colonial towns… following the death of the cartel kingpin: El Mencho.

Put under a genuine curfew, numerous cities closed schools and government offices, sometimes airports, to shield their populations from the violence of armed clashes between police and traffickers.

Backed by American intelligence, the army indeed achieved the unthinkable: killing the godfather of these monstrous networks that operate from south to north across the continent and today threaten around twenty Mexican states, including the major ones from Jalisco and its capital Guadalajara to Puebla and Veracruz.

In tourist-heavy zones, visitors attempted to leave as quickly as possible as airports were closing.

From France, the Quai d’Orsay immediately reacted and urged “to strictly avoid zones where the security forces are operating, to stay vigilant, to seek shelter, and to limit any non-essential travel by following information shared by reliable local media and the authorities’ instructions…” !

From Mexico to Veracruz

While waiting for a clearer picture of a situation that could either intensify or temporarily ease, the mood here is therefore not festive.

Yet, among all Latin American countries, Mexico ranks among the most festive. Indeed, its carnivals are less famous than its Day of the Dead festival which, across the country, attracts thousands of curious visitors eager to immerse themselves in a local tradition that is particularly captivating.

A century old, the Veracruz Carnival tops the list of the most spectacular, but there are also carnivals in Campeche, Merida, and Mazatlan — one of the oldest — which attract a significant share of visitors, the majority of whom are indigenous. This lends them the sought-after authenticity.

In fact, mixing pagan and Christian traditions, the spectacularly costumed parades, loudly powered by the trumpets of the “mariachis” and the satirical verses aimed at local and national authorities, help shape, here as elsewhere, that eccentric and transgressive atmosphere that gives carnival its charm.

From New Orleans to Mobile, American carnivals

Plus au nord of this country with 140 million inhabitants that attracts around 40 million international tourists each year – including members of the American diaspora -, we arrive in the USA, where one can discover the renowned New Orleans Carnival which each year, over about ten days, draws roughly one and a half million spectators who come to applaud 5,000 participants in musical parades and other processions.

Yet New Orleans is not the only place to celebrate this now-secular event where one discovers costumes, dances, music, and where people get drunk and party in a particularly joyful and wild atmosphere.

Elsewhere in Louisiana but also in Alabama, smaller carnivals attract a mixed national audience and some international visitors drawn by the originality of the event and the quality of the musicians.

They pour into the streets of Montgomery and especially Mobile, which offer a bustling schedule of parades organized by the region’s “mystic societies,” parading throughout the city and displaying their traditions, and thus their identity.

The Carnival King: Rio and its samba schools

Obviously, the crown for the most surprising and memorable carnivals goes to Rio.

Pouring millions of people into the streets to have fun, let off steam, and push daily reality to the limit, this carnival features, beyond the official parades of the samba schools, hundreds of smaller processions: the “bloсos,” where Cariocas and national and international tourists, this year totaling about 65 million participants, come together. That figure is 22% higher than last year.

According to Embratur and the tourism ministry, the carnival injected into the city’s economy, especially through hospitality which operated at near full capacity with an almost 100% occupancy rate, 67 million USD.

On the aviation side, aircraft ticket purchases rose by 9% from abroad, notably from Chile (+41%), the USA (+11%) and Argentina (+8%)… to which are added millions of travelers who arrived by road, making the powerful neighbor the leading outbound market for Brazil, with 40% of its total foreign visitors.

Beyond Rio and its famous finale at the Sambódromo drawing about 80,000 privileged spectators, perfectly managed by the municipality, other Brazilian carnivals fire the imaginations of millions of tourists:

– Bahia: international reservations and ticket sales to the state jumped 43%, with Argentina and Portugal leading;

– São Paulo: more than 16 million people attended the parades of 600 “bloсos”;

– Belo Horizonte: the number of participants is estimated at 6.2 million and the economic impact at 190 million USD;

– as for Recife and Olinda, they recorded 3.6 million and 4 million attendees respectively, with a carnival featuring its own musical rhythms (frevo and maracatu instead of samba), drawing crowds to street parades and outdoor shows.

Risks of violence and soccer

Journalist, consultant, speaker, Josette Sicsic has been observing world changes for more than 25 years to analyze their consequences for the tourism sector.

After developing Touriscopie for over 20 years, she remains at the forefront of current events where she decodes the present to forecast 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]