New marketing push for French tourism
Campaign aims to make France the number one European destination in terms of revenue, not just visitor numbers
FRANCE has launched a new campaign to attract more foreign tourists and encourage them to spend more money.
Business minister Frédéric Lefebvre wants France to regain the position of world number two country for tourism revenue within the next two years, after the US.
Despite being the most visited country in the world, with 80 million tourists each year, France is currently in third place in terms of revenue. It generated €49.4bn from tourism in 2009, while Spain managed €53.2bn and the US achieved €93.9bn, according to the World Tourism Organisation.
A new brand, Rendez-Vous en France, has been unveiled that aims to improve the visibility of France to potential holidaymakers.
The initiative will bring together what the country has to offer in a more coherent way, with special emphasis placed on food, wine and fashion.
A new website and mobile phone application will allow visitors to tailor-make their own French holiday based on their interests and events.
The site will be run by the French tourism body Atout France. A trial version has launched at www.rendezvousenfrance.com and includes a section in English.
