Market – France

The 10 team members based in France work out of our Paris office.

Campaigning and Activation

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	Sandra Bermudez, Marketing Manager / Deputy Director France
Contact LinkedIn	+33 (0)6 21 96 64 88 sandra.bermudez@switzerland.com www.linkedin.com/in/sandra-bermudez-1b883417/

	Christophe Ducry, Marketing Manager
Contact LinkedIn	+33 (0)6 72 06 72 50 christophe.ducry@switzerland.com www.linkedin.com/in/christophe-ducry-8a8968b6/

	Lorie Clavel, Intern Marketing
Contact LinkedIn	+33 (0)1 4 51 65 54 lorie.clavel@switzerland.com www.linkedin.com/in/lorie-clavel-12a5a3210/

Media

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	Luc Berthold, Head of Media and Communications
Contact LinkedIn	+33 (0)6 50 91 25 43 luc.berthold@switzerland.com www.linkedin.com/in/luc-berthold-3b575816/

	Letizia Robbiani, Project Manager Media and Communication
Contact LinkedIn	+33 (0)1 44 51 65 45 letizia.robbiani@switzerland.com www.linkedin.com/in/letizia-r-7b7522162/

SCIB

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	Franziska Lüthi, Head of SCIB
Contact LinkedIn	+33 (0)6 13 80 75 42 franziska.luthi@switzerland.com www.linkedin.com/in/franziska-luthi-a1989326/

	Myriam Turrisi, Project Manager SCIB
Contact LinkedIn	+33 (0)6 51 32 81 95 myriam.turrisi@switzerland.com www.linkedin.com/in/myriam-turrisi-4845161a3/

Office Manager

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	Valérie Zinder-Rothlin, Accountant
Contact LinkedIn	+41 44 288 12 17 valerie.zinder-rothlin@switzerland.com www.linkedin.com/in/valérie-zinder-rothlin-4574b9381/.

Property Manager

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	Laetizia Abdou, Property Manager
Contact LinkedIn	+33 (0)6 89 72 76 89 laetizia.abdou@switzerland.com

• ST market research page –– here
• ST Research Report 2024 –– Download here
• ST TMS 2024 –– Download here

The 2026 strategy for the French market focuses on strengthening Switzerland’s visibility at the earliest stages of the travel decision process, encouraging longer stays, and promoting sustainable, seasonal and emotionally engaging travel experiences through strong partnerships, creative storytelling and public transport collaboration.

Key Partner Campaigns:
A large-scale grouped Key Partner campaign will be rolled out with leading French travel and lifestyle media such as GEO and Le Routard, combining editorial storytelling, itineraries, influencer-created content and strong digital amplification. These campaigns aim to drive qualified traffic to partner landing pages through native advertising, social media amplification and display formats.

In parallel, a series of individual Key Partner campaigns will be implemented with premium and affinity media including Télérama, Outside, Chilowé, Le Nouvel Obs, Libération, ELLE à Table, Milk, L’Express, Yonder, Brut, Pop In, L’Équipe and A Week Abroad. These collaborations combine editorial content, influencer activations and social amplification, tailored to the identity of each destination and target audience.

Social Media Activation:
Switzerland Tourism France will reinforce its social media presence through co-created thematic weeks dedicated to Key Partners. Content will be published across posts, Reels and multimedia stories, supported by paid amplification to increase visibility, awareness and engagement among French audiences.

Central ST Campaign & Public Transport Collaboration:
The central 2026 campaign continues the creative collaboration with French artist Thylacine as a unifying emotional thread. Built on co-creation and content amplification, the campaign will launch primarily in spring 2026 and focus on digital activations driving traffic to a dedicated landing page via social media, Outbrain and editorial storytelling. An always-on social media presence will support the campaign throughout the year.

Additional visibility will be generated through complementary partnerships with TGV Lyria, including a large-scale public awareness campaign with metro advertising in early 2026.

Influence Marketing:
Influencer and creator collaborations will run throughout the year, supporting both central and partner campaigns. These activations focus on inspiration, emotional connection, sustainable travel and lesser-known destinations, accelerating the inspiration phase of the customer journey.

Key Media Management:
Media relations remain a cornerstone of the strategy with the annual media kit, regular press newsletters and tailored editorial support for partners. Exclusive and shared networking events will be organized in Paris and other key locations, alongside press trips and roadshows, to strengthen relationships with journalists and key opinion leaders.

Key Account Management: 

Activities include eductours, workshops, roadshows and joint marketing initiatives with tour operators and strategic partners, aimed at product knowledge, recruitment of new partners and the promotion of Swiss destinations across leisure and niche segments, including luxury travel.

Switzerland Convention & Incentive Bureau:
SCIB will continue its comprehensive B2B approach through participation in major MICE trade shows, thematic webinars, newsletters and always-on Outbrain campaigns. Eductours, networking events and flagship initiatives such as the Switzerland Meeting Trophy and the Suisse Cocktail Mix Challenge will further position Switzerland as a leading destination for meetings, incentives and events. The long-standing B2B blog for event professionals will remain a key content and visibility driver, with active distribution on LinkedIn and social media.

France’s geo-socio-economic environment in 2026 is characterised by modest economic growth, persistent structural challenges and cautious consumer sentiment. After years of subdued expansion, the French economy is projected to grow close to ~1.0–1.1% this year, supported mainly by private demand and business investment, while household consumption remains restrained amid broader global uncertainty. 

France’s political environment in 2026 remains marked by instability and limited governing capacity, with a fragmented parliament making it difficult to secure durable majorities. Budget negotiations are tense, and the government has relied on constitutional mechanisms to pass key measures, fuelling political and social tensions. Public confidence in political leadership is fragile, while debates around fiscal consolidation, social reforms and purchasing power dominate the agenda ahead of the 2027 presidential cycle. Overall, uncertainty remains elevated, with a continued risk of political paralysis and sporadic social unrest.

As of early 2026, France’s travel and tourism sector continues to perform strongly, with international visitor numbers and spending remaining elevated following record-breaking results in 2024 and sustained momentum through 2025. Official data indicate continued growth in inbound tourism demand, particularly from European markets, helping maintain France’s position as the world’s most visited destination. The tourism industry’s performance is supported by government focus on sustainable and high-value tourism, and strategic objectives to grow international receipts towards long-term targets set by national tourism policy. Hotels and hospitality sectors are adapting to evolving demand patterns, including experiences and luxury segments, while maintaining strong year-round demand.

Overall, France in 2026 is expected to combine moderate economic expansion with continued tourism growth, even as structural fiscal and political challenges remain. The travel sector’s resilience helps anchor the economy, though performance may vary by sub-segment and competitive landscape.

Sources: Le Monde, Insee

Economic growth for 2026 in France is projected to be modest, with real GDP expected to increase by around 1.0%, reflecting a slight recovery from the subdued performance of 2025 but remaining below long-term potential as consumption and investment gradually regain momentum amid persistent uncertainty.

The public deficit remains elevated despite ongoing fiscal consolidation efforts. After declining from over 5.8% of GDP in 2024 to approximately 5.4% in 2025, the budget deficit in 2026 is forecast to stay near 5.0–5.2% of GDP, partly due to political compromises and extended tax measures aimed at funding social spending. Public debt continues to be a key challenge, projected to remain above 120% of GDP in 2026 and beyond.

Inflation is expected to stay relatively contained but edge higher compared with recent years. Headline consumer price inflation is forecast to rise moderately toward ~1.3–1.4% in 2026, as downward pressures from energy prices ease, while core inflation remains supported by services and food price dynamics.

The labour market continues to show resilience, with unemployment broadly stable near 7.5–7.6%, though some forecasts indicate a slight uptick before stabilisation as economic growth remains moderate and structural mismatches persist. 

France’s economic environment in 2026 thus combines a gradual recovery in activity with persistent fiscal and structural challenges, reflecting ongoing efforts to balance sustainable growth with public finance consolidation amid domestic and international headwinds.

Sources: OECD, Banque de France

Overall, the French travel industry in 2026 balances a resilient domestic market, sustained international appeal and evolving consumer preferences, with a notable shift towards deeper experiences, sustainability and digital-informed planning.

As of early 2026, France’s travel and tourism sector continues to demonstrate robust performance and evolving traveller behaviour. Domestic travel remains strong with approximately 75 % of French people planning at least one trip within France in 2026, reflecting a sustained interest in local destinations such as Brittany, Provence–Alpes–Côte d’Azur and Normandy as travellers seek authenticity, tranquillity and less congested experiences. Slow tourism, which prioritises exploring a single destination deeply and at a relaxed pace, is particularly popular with French travellers, with around three-quarters favouring less touristy, rural or nature-oriented locations. This trend aligns with broader demand for outdoor stays, such as hiking, nature escapes and regional hospitality experiences.

International travel also remains a key component of French travel behaviour, with about two-thirds of French travellers planning trips abroad, especially to neighbouring countries such as Spain, Italy and Germany. At the same time, new booking behaviours are emerging: French travellers increasingly use AI tools for planning and show a rising preference for personalised and flexible experiences, including “lux-scaping” short high-end getaways. Cost remains a primary criterion guiding French travel decisions, with many planning to limit budgets and prioritise price-sensitive choices. Environmental and sustainability considerations are increasingly shaping travel patterns. While climate criteria rank highly among destination selection factors, actual transportation choices show a continued reliance on private vehicles and air travel. Nonetheless, demand for responsible travel options, such as localised, slow and low-impact stays, continues to grow among segments of the market.

Switzerland is number 13 in terms of most visited destination by the French people. French people mostly travel to their own country to visit the variety of it. Three quarter still tend to travel by car, especially if they’re not based in Paris (as all the main train lines are centralized in Paris).

There is a special bond between Switzerland and France with the largest community of French people living abroad are being in Switzerland but also the largest community of Swiss people living abroad being in France. This enables a lot of back and forth trips to visit family and relatives. This type of vacation doesn’t usually generate overnights but is an important part of tourism flow to be considered.

Sources: Ministère de l’Economie, des Finances et de la Souveraineté industrielle, énergétique et numérique, tendancehotellerie.fr, infotravel.fr

The 2024 French leisure traveler primarily resides in Île-de-France (26%), Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (22%), and Grand Est (15%), with an average age of 43 years. Most travel in pairs (47%) or small groups of 3-5 (33%), often with partners (66%), friends (26%), or children (23%).

Traveling mainly by car (62%) or train (22%), they prefer hotels (38%), rented apartments (21%), or staying with friends and family (20%). Most visit new destinations (85%), and one-third of trips involve touring multiple locations (33%). They rely on tourism websites (19%), personal networks (17%), and social media (9%) for information, with 8.2% using packaged tours.

Top regions visited include Valais (19%), Vaud (18%), and Bern (13%). Common holiday types are sightseeing, active summer holidays, and city experiences, motivated by mountains (15%), nature (14%), and cities (7%). Activities include walking (61%), gastronomy (41%), and historical site visits (44%). Booking decisions are made 55 days before departure, with bookings often finalized 28 days prior.

Switzerland’s tourism strengths include gastronomy and natural landscapes but faces challenges due to high costs (48%). Competing destinations include Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (16%), Tyrol (9%), and Lombardy (4%). Relaxation (22%), landscapes (26%), and water activities (28%) also attract visitors.

French people have on average 33 days of vacation per year which makes them the perfect candidates for off-season travel and city trips. 24% of French people who take a vacation to Switzerland have visited in the months of September to November. There is a huge opportunity to position the autumn season in France.

More than half of the French people traveling would be ready to extend their stay if home office is an option in the traveling destination.

•Enhance Visibility During the Consideration Stage

Position Switzerland top-of-mind during the early stages of travelers’ decision-making process.

•Encourage Extended Stays with Pre-Packaged Itineraries

Promote longer stays by offering attractive, bookable travel itineraries tailored to visitor interests.

•Leverage Market-Specific Strengths to Attract New Visitors

Attract new visitors by highlighting unique assets such as relaxation, cultural diversity, warm hospitality, and heritage (“patrimoine”) 

•Boost Collaboration with Public Transportation Partners

Emphasize convenience, accessibility and reliability to enhance the travel experience.

•Activate Local Marketing Expertise for Emotionally Resonant Campaigns

Utilize insights from in-market employees to craft marketing initiatives that create emotional connections with target audiences.

•Guide Visitor Flows to Undiscovered, Market-Specific Destinations

Encourage travel to lesser-known areas to balance tourism and reveal hidden gems.

•Promote Seasonal Travel Experiences

Align marketing with seasonas: invite guests in spring to enjoy untouched nature and in autumn to experience local gastronomy.

•Promote Swisstainable Offers

Showcase sustainable travel experiences and responsible tourism options aligned with the “Swisstainable” initiative.