TravTalk India Online Magazine
France received 4,99,000 visitors from India in the first half until mid-June this year. The numbers from India are encouraging and possibly shoot up with the ongoing Rugby World Cup 2023 and the upcoming 2024 Summer Olympics, which is being promoted by Atout France India, along with DreamSetGo.
Hazel Jain
Sheetal Munshaw, Director – Atout France India, reveals that India is within the top 15 source markets for France. “I am happy to announce that visitor arrival figures for the first half of the year until mid-June are at an approximate of 4,99,000. With the Rugby World Cup underway and the Olympic and Paralympic Games 2024 slated to take place in Paris next year, I believe the interactions between our partners and agents are instrumental to establishing France’s strategic positioning as a preferred destination,” she said.
Munshaw added, “The Olympic Games will be a big-ticket event and we have an official agency in DreamSetGo, which is promoting the games in India. They are really pushing the product and we intend to work closely with them to try and think of some interesting ways to showcase France through the games. Our endevour with them is to showcase how visitors can make the most of their time while in France and go beyond Paris as well, and also do different things even within the region of Paris while they are there.”
Trade meets sellers, Consul Generals
Atout France India recently concluded the fifth edition of its offsite B2B showcase, Explore France, in Kochi. A delegation of 33 French companies interacted with key representatives of the Indian tourism industry over two days of scheduled meetings. The French delegation comprised partners who have maintained a steady presence in the market, as well as new entrants interested to make a foray into the market. Munshaw shared, “This year we had almost 25 per cent exhibitors who were participating in this (Explore France) for the first time, including Aix-en-Provence, which shows their increased focus on the India market. There was an eclectic mix of attractions, hotels, transport partners, and tourism boards.”
This year also marks 20 years of Atout France’s presence in India.
Also present in Kochi were Lise Talbot Barré, Consul General of France in Pondicherry and Chennai; Didier Talpain, Consul General of France in Kolkata, along with Jean-Marc Séré-Charlet, Consul General of France in Mumbai. The NTO also organised an interactive session on visas with the Consulate General of France in Pondicherry and Chennai.
