Indians going for repeat visits to France

Atout France India concluded the 6^th edition of ‘Explore France’ in Goa recently. Sheetal Munshaw, Director, Atout France India, said that Indians are not only making repeat visits to France, but also staying longer there, indulging in more local activities, and showing a preference for staying at local boutique hotels and apartments.

Hazel Jain

Atout France, the tourism development agency of France, concluded the 6^th edition of its annual B2B showcase, Explore France, in Goa recently. A delegation of 23 key stakeholders representing the diversity of France’s touristic offerings interacted with 50 members of the Indian travel trade fraternity over two days of pre-scheduled meetings. Agents at the workshop were from Mumbai, Delhi, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Bengaluru, Aurangabad, and Chennai.

It not only included table-top meetings, but also a presentation for the French delegation on the Indian travel landscape and the ever-evolving profile of the Indian traveller by Neil Patil, COO, Veena World. There was an introduction also by NPCI Payments International and Lyra on the importance and integration of UPI as a seamless mode of digital payments and its advancement in France. An interactive visa session was organised in association with the Consulate General of France in Mumbai and VFS Global to discuss visa procedures and address commonly asked queries by Sami Bouakaze, Consul and Deputy Head of Mission. Bouakaze revealed that the approval rate of visa applications from the Mumbai Consulate is 85-90 per cent.

The evolving Indian traveller

Sharing an update on how the India market is performing, Sheetal Munshaw, Director, Atout France India, said, “India is a growing source market for France and has been on a consistent upsurge for the last decade or more. Platforms such as these are critical to ensure that we do not lose momentum. It is mutually benefitting, as it allows us to introduce key stakeholders on both sides, facilitate dialogue, showcase the diversity of France and enable both sides on product knowledge on the one hand and market trends and potential on the other. The showcase of the UPI also demonstrated the dynamism of the Indo-French relationship. There have been many takeaways on both sides, and we are confident that the Indian influx of tourists to France will continue to be on the upswing.” Indian arrivals in 2019 was 700,000, and in 2023 it was almost 550,000, which means a 70-80 per cent recovery since pre-COVID.

Currently, UPI is available only at certain attractions in France, including the Eiffel Tower, but they are looking to expand their footprint. Moreover, a lot of exhibitors at the workshop were from and around Paris. “That has been our mantra for the last several years. It’s all about how to go beyond Paris and the Eiffel Tower. Our endeavour has always been to do Eiffel Tower differently and Paris differently. Even for Indian visitors who revisit Paris, they spend four to five nights, and they want to feel like locals, they want to stay in local hotels and indulge in local experiences like wine tourism, tourism around food, outdoor activities like cycling, spending time in nature, and attend concerts. They are engaging in activities now rather than just sightseeing,” Munshaw shared.

Even within Paris, they are doing things differently. “They are booking food tours, they are looking at fashion, using the personal shopper experience; there is a lot of differently done experiences even in Paris for those who keep coming back. We also have Rail Europe as an important partner to showcase what France has to offer in terms of trains. Indians are spending a longer time in France now than they were before, because of which they are going to different places. So, we hope they will use the trains a lot,” she explained.

Trade partners’ contribution

A lot of it comes from the industry itself. Munshaw said, “Our travel partners are a lot more exposed to France now than before. We are going to have some larger tour operators launch solo France itineraries for groups, which is new, adding new destinations. They are also going to change in terms of seasonality and launch packages for autumn and winter, which is something they have never done before. The same thing is happening with MICE. We are seeing a demand for newer destinations apart from Paris. They are also looking at places like Nice, Cannes, Toulouse, and Lyon. In terms of the FIT traveller, the mix is the most eclectic because you have as many different things that they do based on as many tourists as they are.”