THERE was a satisfactory response to first time entrant France at the MTF 2006, says Maison de la France director Pascal J Lepetre.
“We did not know what to expect but we are satisfied with the outcome. We met a lot of professionals from Egypt. We achieved our objective,” said Lepetre.
“The Dubai office, which was set up at the beginning of the year is playing a major role in getting more Arab travellers to France. We know that Arabs find France attractive. But we want Arabs to travel to different regions of France.”
"We have taken many initiatives to make Arabs feel at home in France. Some of the staff at the hotels speak Arabic. We also offer special menus for Arabs to meet their special requirements.
"We want to show our tourists that we care. That is why we have started working on an Arabic version of our website. This should be ready by the end of this year.”
Lepetre said his office has also set up a database for meeting agents.
"We will work with the agents. We will hold seminars for them and educate them about France. We will organise fam trips. We will also be there for the media. We will also attend major shows like the ATM in Dubai to promote France.”
He said the organisation wants tourists to go beyond Paris. “We want to put a few more spots on the map for our tourists. For example, we want to promote a place like Deauville in Normandy. We can offer flight connections, good hotels, facilities for kids and good food. We will also promote other destinations like Biarritz and Lyons," he said.