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Think France and the first image that makes a flash in most cases is the iconic Eiffel Tower. There is no doubt that Paris is a city of dreams for many but it is not what France is all about. Paris does overshadow the hidden and explored specialities of the French world, but the ninth edition of ‘Rendez-vous en France’ did a perfect job to showcase France with its other tourism classics. From Carcassonne Castle to Sarlat, from special wine trails to the Zoo Parc de Beauval and Park Asterix, from luxury spas and resorts to quaint spots and boutique experiences, from unique products like Meeting the French to Paris and You Photo, there is so much more to this destination than that meets the eye. France has so much to offer that it can be easily promoted as a solo tourism product and the close to 24 tourism areas have their own unique offerings. If the Rhone-Alpes has natural splendours like Lake Annecy and Chamonix Mont-Blanc and ski resorts, the Centre-Val De Loire has also classic and stately Chateaus on the offering. Every region takes pride in promoting its uniqueness and most of the tourism boards from Champagne-Ardennes to Normandie, from Bourgogne to Aquitaine, the Indian clientele is what they surely hope to greet and meet. Valerie Olivier of the Dijon Tourist Board was keen to work with the India market and spoke about the owl trails and other highlights at the event. Claude Micallef of Lido Champs-Elysées considered the India market crucial for business even though it is a highly well established product in market. In the same way, Cyprien Fabre of Musees Du Parfum Fragonard, also felt the Indian clientele as crucial, and hoped to strengthen his perfume tours product in the India market. From the established to the new, sellers in France were all set to tap and network with their Indian counterparts.
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The Indian buyers were also impressed with this year’s event and felt it was a perfect platform to learn and explore more about France and its unique offerings. Sumathi Shankar Raman, CFO, Wings Travels, Mumbai, felt that her visit was an eye opener and a face-to-face meeting with the suppliers helped her understand a lot of practical aspects like getting the optimum routing and tour plans for her clientele.
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It was interesting to meet the DMCs in person, she felt. Interestingly she has also activated business for eight groups to the Lyon region from the event. Most of the tour operators also found the pre and post familiarisation trips as a great opportunity to explore new regions first hand.
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Shobita Louis, general manager (operations), The Wanderers, came back impressed with the Sarlat reigon. “It is worth selling and a perfect gateway with a fairytale touch and a medieval look,” she stated adding that it is perfect to explore regions of France on a bike or even through self-drive vacations. Alface region known for its wine and Corsica, for an island experience are worth exploring. For Asmita Ramnani, partner, Indiana Travel Services, understanding the right combinations for selling was her take home from the event. She was also impressed with the arrangements and hospitality provided at the event. But Nagshree Prasad of Mercury Travels, who has been regularly attending the event, had always been looking forward to the experience. She added, “I look forward to the event for two reasons, one France as a destination is becoming exceedingly popular and two, my clients are willing to look at the country as a mono destination thereby wanting to spend more time here in newer areas, doing new things. The Rendez-vous promises the latter since each year they try and organise the meetings in a new destination and this allows us as buyers to experience the same and go back home and promote what we saw. This year they did not disappoint me as there were several meetings that were very interesting, for example the Auvergne Tourism Board, Provence Tours, a yacht company in Nice, some bespoke cycling and walking tour companies, the Loire valley and the list goes on.”
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She further added, “The event also helps reconnect with friends from the regions thereby giving us an edge and also provides reassurance to the regions and attractions we are promoting. There is a two-way commitment that is cemented. The quality of the sellers was good and it’s great to see new attractions and experiences come up each year that helps us diversify our portfolio. I am looking forward to the event next year already.”
Rendez-vous en France 2014 did match expectations and the strong tourism ties between the French suppliers and the Indian buyers is poised to only strengthen over time as the commitment toward business is strong at both ends.
