Tag Archives: France Tourism Development Agency

Atout France – France Tourism Development Agency has announced that since July 17, all fully vaccinated travellers coming from countries classified as green, orange or red can enter France without restriction or without a compelling reason irrespective of the red, amber or green classification implemented by France. This implies that fully vaccinated Indians can travel to France. As of 18th July, France has also recognised Covishield in its list of approved vaccines. Travel is possible only 2 weeks after the second dose of Covishield has been administered. India has been classified as ‘red’ as of now. A random test may be performed upon arrival at the port of entry. Further information on visas and travel modalities will be shared once more details are available.

Atout France, France Tourism Development Agency, recently organised its first-ever offsite B2B showcase titled ‘Experience France’ in Goa from October 29 to November 2, 2017. This year, the agency also heralded another milestone – a decade of its independent office in India. The 2017 edition had a strong presence of 24 representatives of French entities buoyed to showcase the limitless possibilities that France has to offer. The delegation included key representatives of regional tourism boards, local tourist offices, hospitality partners, versatile attractions and DMCs from across France. The delegation also included eight representatives from the Auvergne Rhone Alpes region keenly positioning France as a winter destination. The workshop format consisted of pre-scheduled appointments over three days allowing for qualitative exchanges between French professionals and travel companies from key metro cities across India who were present for the event. The Consul General of France to Bombay, M Yves Perrin graced the 10-year celebration at the W Goa. Several networking soirees were organised to facilitate interaction and exchange between the suppliers and hosted buyers. Sheetal Munshaw, Director, Atout France in India, says, “In keeping with the market trends of France being a favoured destination with travel professionals pan India, we thought it opportune to create a common platform to facilitate synergies with travel agents from all over the country opening up and further expanding opportunities to promote France to a more versatile audience. Our delegation also comprised of an eclectic mix of tourism offerings from all over France enabling us to showcase France for all its diversity.”

France Tourism Development Agency, Atout France has released an official statement on the security measures for tourism professionals post the July 14 attack. The release has a list of FAQs aimed at helping tourism professionals answer questions from their customers on the measures that have been taken to ensure the safety of the French population and foreign visitors. It says, “In spite of the events that occurred last year and at the Bastille Day celebrations in Nice, France remains the world’s most popular tourist destination (EVE survey1), with nearly 85 million visitors. The French authorities’ efforts to improve tourist reception and security will continue throughout the year under the state of emergency, which has been extended until January 31, 2017.” The statement also said that there are no specific measures concerning groups. Groups must nevertheless respect the general instructions given by the public authorities. It added, “There will be increased security checks and greater police powers. Police and gendarmerie reinforcements have been deployed throughout national territory. Inspections and staff levels have been increased in public transport and around sites receiving the public, including tourist attractions. All representatives of the tourism sector have announced the recruitment of additional security staff to ensure the safety of visitors.”