FRANCE attracted 83 million international tourists last year, the highest for any country globally. While the travel trade in the country is proud of this achievement, it is not resting on its laurels.
Atout France, the French tourism development agency, last month hosted the ninth edition of its international B2B trade fair, Rendez-vous en France, in Clermont-Ferrand, the capital of the Auvergne Region. The event welcomed over 800 tour operators from five continents. More than 20,000 meetings took place between 660 participating French service providers and the foreign operators during the two days of the event.French companies and visitors jostled for space and time within the at the Grand Halle d’Auvergne. There were tourism boards, hotel facilities, tour agencies, coach carriers, leisure parks, museums and castles, department stores and theatres discussing their services and facilities with operators coming from nearly 60 countries. “Our aim and challenge is to promote new destinations and new products to the Middle East tourist,” says Karim Mekachera, director, Middle East and Turkey, Atout France. “It is very important for us to understand this market and enhance the offering for our clientele.” France last year witnessed a 20 per cent increase in the number of people visiting the country from the Middle East, which was second only to China in terms of percentage growth. The hotel nights also increased 15 per cent and some hotels enjoyed almost 30 per cent of their clientele from the region, says Mekachera.France is a longer stay destination that is particularly suited to Middle Eastern tourists who are long-stay, high-spending customers. The country is diverse geographically and a year-round destination. “It was a very fruitful event for the Middle East operators who participated,” says Chahine Mikdam, Atout France promotion manager, Middle East & Turkey regional office in Dubai. “Travel agents organised a minimum of 15 meetings, while some even had 30 meetings per day.”One region that will appeal to Middle Eastern tourists, both during summer and winter, is the Rhone-Alpes. A tourist will be spoilt for choice with the region offering 200 ski resorts, several lakes, mountaineering facilities, natural parks, heritage sites, vineyards and entertainment venues. The capital city, Lyon, is the gastronomic capital of France. Lyon’s Festival of Lights, which has set a cultural milestone through its city-wide illumination held every year, attracts four million visitors. Dubai’s Emaar Properties in March joined hands with the City of Lyon to launch the Dubai Festival of Lights that recreated the breathtaking splendour of the Lyon event.Another key destination is the Provence Alps. It includes the French Riviera and is famous for its azure-blue skies, remarkable heritage sites, hilltop villages, tradition and wine and food. Atout France is also keen to promote the Auvergne Region by hosting the event in Clermont-Ferrand. Auvergne is an emerging tourism destination with a cultural and historical slant.Many French hotels and other tourism service providers were also keen to provide customised services to the Middle Eastern tourists. The Hotel Baltimore Paris - M Gallery Collection offers a welcome pack which provides information about the hotel and Paris in Arabic. The booklet lists sites of Islamic interest and restaurants, women-only spas and shopping places. Galeries Lafayette, an iconic shopping destination, already enjoys a large number of Middle East clientele. “We provide personalised service to our discerning clients and the service of a personal shopper is also available,” says Delphine Komorowski, director of international promotion.Lafayette, which has a store in Dubai Mall, plans to open one in Doha, Qatar, next year. The company will have a Middle East sales manager for the Paris store soon. Another company targeting Middle East customers is Chabe Paris, which provides ground transportation service in the country. With over 350 vehicles, it is one of the largest chauffeured car services in France. The company provides chauffeur service to Etihad Airways in Paris for its First and Business class passengers. “We are targeting Middle East customers. Already a lot of families from the Gulf, including royals, use our service,” Mohamed Khallouki, Middle East coordinator. Parc Asterix and its sister entertainment venues also hope to draw more tourists from the Middle East. The amusement park sports 35 attractions and three major shows and is already popular with Arab visitors, says Frederic Gouguidis, international sales director. By Sree Bhat