France looks beyond Paris

SK a Middle East traveller about France, he will speak volumes about Paris, Cannes and Nice. These are the favourite tried-and-tested destinations of Arab tourists.

But there is plenty more to France than these top tourist spots and the country’s tourism development agency, Atout France, is making a determined effort to take the traveller, especially the repeat visitors, on new paths that offer freshness.

Middle Eastern travellers are very important to France, which is the world’s top tourism destination.

'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.'

'It is a high-end market with our customers mostly in the five-star segment. The market is critical for French luxury hotel industry,' he continues.

France last year witnessed a 20 per cent increase in the number of people visiting the country from the region, 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.

Mekachera also finds the Middle East travel profile changing slowly with travel from the region more spread throughout the year. Demand for skiing and mountaineering is also picking up, though Nice, Cannes and Paris continue to be the top destinations for Middle East travellers, according to him.

The Middle East, including Turkey, accounted for 1.2 million tourists to France last year and had a 2.5 per cent share of hotel nights.

'Though it may not sound big in numbers, the beauty is that most of our customers from the region are for the five-star segment. That’s the key to understand this market,' says Mekachera.

'To sustain this growth, we need to provide new destinations and creative, innovative products. We need the support of the local travel trade for this.'

On new destinations, Rhône-Alpes and Provence Alps regions have many attractions that could interest tourists from the Middle East. Chamonix is one destination that can be developed in the region. It has everything – nature parks, famous ski slopes, special trains, good hotels and shopping, asserts Mekachera.

'The job of the national tourism board has evolved over the years. Our job is not just campaigns and building up the image of a destination. Our core business is to provide opportunities to both sides. We act as a bridge between the travel trade and local operators – that is the heart of our operation,' he says.

The visa waiver for Emiratis will come very soon for the EU and this will strongly increase tourist traffic from the UAE, predicts Mekachera. 'It could even double the traffic.'

Atout France organises a roadshow titled 'Colors of France' in the region. It covered Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey last year.

'We would like to develop more activities in the Saudi markets, targeting Jeddah, Dammam and Riyadh,' he says. 'There is huge potential there and with more openness, we can do much better.'

He indicates that Bahrain remains a key market for French tourism. 'I am very impressed by the Bahrain travel trade. They are professional and enthusiastic about France as a destination. It is not huge, but a very good market in terms of value.'

The key market segments for French tourism from the region are the FIT (free independent travel) market and the family segment.

However, he sees a growing number of groups of young travellers exploring new activities beyond the traditional. It is a good segment for skiing and other adventurous activities, he says.

Tourists from the region spend around 10 days in France during their visits, which is excellent. Their spending pattern includes luxury hotels, luxury stores, amusement parks with family, nice restaurants, and last one unfortunately is culture, adds Mekachera.

'We want to lay more emphasis on culture. For example, in the Louvre, a new Islamic art section has been introduced. We organised a fam trip with Qatari travel operators and the feedback was good,' he says. However, he admits it’s a challenge to create interest in cultural attractions.

So what is the USP of France? Without batting an eyelid, Mekachera says it’s the French diversity. 'You can find almost the entire world in France. This country has been shaped by hundreds of years of history with people coming from different parts of the world. It is more than 20 countries in one. It has mountains, ski resorts, sea resorts, city breaks, countryside, cultures and of course cuisines…'

One new tourism trend is the summer French language training tours from the region. 'This trend is becoming quite strong now and we have to take this seriously. Many French operators are offering packages. It’s a developing segment. We need to promote this.'

'Global tourism is a very serious business, which generates huge employment opportunities. France is serious about tourism and is fully committed to keep the destination competitive,' Mekachera concludes.

By Sree Bhat