Tourism Breaking News
Atout France – France Tourism Development Agency organised the sixth edition of the very prestigious Ambassador’s Travel Awards in Mumbai on 12th December after a hiatus of 5 years and under the patronage of His Excellency Mr. Thierry Mathou. These awards were instated in 2015 under the high patronage of the Ambassador of France to India and powered by VFS Global for all its subsequent editions. The objective behind the awards is to recognise and reward a selection of travel companies across India for their exemplary efforts in showcasing France as a travel destination both from the destination showcase, visa perspective and the prolific penmanship of a journalist who, through articles, has essayed a versatile presentation of destination France.
Our jury members consisted of eminent luminaries that included His Excellency Thierry Mathou, the Ambassador of France to India, and Claude Sarre General Manager Air France-KLM. This year for the first time, a new category of awards was announced to felicitate a travel professional who has successfully completed Atout France’s global certified e-learning programme, France Connaisseur.
The winners for this year’s awards were:
1: Visa Category – awarded to Veena World for its exemplary endeavour towards qualitative visa submissions
Destination Showcase Awards:
1: Gold – Best Showcase of France as an Incentive Destination – Winner: Thomas Cook (India)
2: Diamond – Best Showcase of France as an Indulgent Destination – Winner: N.Chirag
3: Platinum – Best Showcase of France as an Experiential Destination – Winner: Harmony-Tours
4: France Connassieur E-learning Award: Awarded to one travel professional for having successfully completed Atout France’s e-learning programme France Connaisseur. Winner: Noopur Shukla, Holidays & More
Sharing her thoughts, Ms Sheetal Munshaw – Director Atout France said, “This comeback edition was indeed much a much-awaited one. It was heartening to receive itineraries from different Indian cities, which again reinforces the evolution of the Indian traveller. Our source markets have now diversified to include many more cities across the country, which indicates a lot of potential for France. A special mention must be made of all our partners who have generously sponsored stays and experiences for our winners in both France and India. This year, in addition to the continued and steadfast support we have been receiving from VFS Global since the inception of the awards in 2015, we are also extremely pleased to have on board La Vallée Village – member of the Bicester Collection as our partner. Over the last several years, La Vallee Village has consistently invested in the market and we are grateful for their unwavering support”.
