Not to mention the Club Med still open capital

The France has approximately 200 tour operators. A still significant number, then even the French tour operators market experienced these past ten years a real concentration, since 2000, new frontiers, first French tour operator at the time, came into the orbit of the German group TUI. Subsequently, TUI has absorbed the British First Choice, which had taken over in France Marmara. Its competitor the most direct, also German, Condor & Neckerman (C & N) had a more low-key entry into France at the end of the 1990s with two Aquatour and Neckermann brands before resuming branch Havas travel tourism, mainly distribution network. When C & N bought the English group Thomas Cook, the mark was then affixed to the German group and all its subsidiaries. It is, therefore, Thomas Cook France resumed in 2008 the French historical TO Jet Tours with the marks of production as it had created (Eldorador, Jumbo, Secrets) or purchased (Southern lagoons).

Rising power

In addition to these two behemoths Europeans, other TO grew, as the Canadian Transat, has added to its brands House, Vacances Transat and Brokair, specialists such as Bennett and Amplitude, who joined a high notoriety TO Look Voyages acquired as early as 1996. The growth of the Swiss giant Kuoni in France remained quiet with the purchase of the brands Scanditours, holiday Fabuleuses and, more recently, the travel workshops. Next to these possible challengers of the German leaders, several other groups have associate trademarks "tour operating.

For example, FRAM offered in 2008 a regional competitor, full wind, in entry. Either the high line at the world travel map travel TO continue to add to its range of brands of new specialized TO (counters, land of adventures, deserts, nomadic...), its recent acquisitions have been sea and travel and men and mountains. Another example, the charter XL Airways (Star Airlines) company, which, to better fulfill its aircraft, brought together several producers of travel: Heliades, Crystal TO and Italowcost. Alternatively, it is an Austrian group (Travel Europe) which was recently implemented in France by buying Austro Pauli Visit France. New groups are mounted in a few years by redemption. For example, NG Travels, Géophyle, holding company of the Group Oxylane-Decathlon or Travel & Co. established in 2007 with the support of future tourism (CDC and OSEO).

Still 200 TO France

But, despite this movement of concentration, there is more than 200 TO in France, "including more than a hundred that matter", according to Alexis Gardy of Roland Berger. There are also a handful of TO, average across European giants, owned by a family or their founder which are likely to change hands for questions of succession. FRAM, given every six months purchased by any particular group, (information whenever contradicted) appears to be such. But much of beautiful French brands may enter in the logic or the grouping of independents... Not to mention the Club Med still open capital. Rene-Marc Chikli, President of OTEC, think that the concentration remains to be done in France where the weight of the distribution it was long slow. He sees a new wave of reconciliations occur in 2011. But it enrages: "Refers always TO disappear, never to those who appear." Who would have bet on Go Travel ten years ago The new are the future of the profession.

OLIVIER WALNUT