Holiday departures sold by French travel agencies decreased by 5.5% in number of bookings in September 2026, compared to September 2025, according to the Observatory carried out by the Orchestra for the Entreprises du Voyage (EDV). The decrease is less pronounced than in August (-9.3%) and is in line with estimates at the end of August.
Metropolitan France remains the first destination, but retreats 9.1%, while Spain, in second place, rises 1.7% and consolidates itself as the first foreign destination for the French. Tunisia, in third place, falls 6.2%. In the top 20, the biggest increases are Albania (+280.6%), Austria (+162.9%) and Montenegro (+91.5%). Among the strongest decreases are Portugal, 8th destination (-20.8%), Turkey (-22.4%) and the United States (-34.6%).
L'Écho touristique stresses that Portugal is a very disintermediated destination, that is, very booked directly by travelers, outside the agencies. The indicator measures only the departures sold by agency and reflects a loss of ground in this channel, not an overall drop in French demand for Portugal. Valérie Boned, president of EDV, sees positive signs, such as the evolution of the average basket and the stabilization of reserves, but calls for prudence in a context marked by the conflict in the Middle East, the price of kerosene, inflation (3% in September) and last-minute sales.
