The Hindu Business Line : France team bid to lure leisure traffic

A TOURISM delegation representing tour operators, hotels, and tourism boards from the various provinces in France is on a roadshow in Chennai, Mumbai and Delhi targeting the leisure traffic segment in India.

Along with Russia, China and Korea, India has been identified as an important source market and one from where growth will come in the next 10 years.

In view of the expected growth from India, the French Tourist Board is planning a full-fledged office in India in 2006, according to Ms Catherine Oden, Regional Director South-East Asia and India, French Tourist Board.

The board will be creating awareness about France as a destination and also hopes to tap into the large market of Mumbai film industry, which are routinely filmed in overseas locales, she said.

Last year 1,50,000 Indians visited France and 80,000 of them came into France from other destinations indicating that these visitors were part of group tours and not direct visitors. The road shows aimed at growing the number of direct visitors over the next few years, according to Mr Paul Roll, Managing Director, Paris Office du Tourisme et des Congres.

Mr Roll said that Paris was the leading destination in the world with visitors from the US, the UK, Japan and other European countries leading the visitors' list. The city was gearing up to receive these visitors without losing its own character, he said.

Besides the must-see tourist spots such as the museums, the cathedrals there is the undiscovered Paris, he said. There are small streets, wooded parks and open markets to get the feel of the city, he said.

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