Tag Archives: France

The Tourism and Hospitality Skill Council (THSC), in collaboration with the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), proudly announces the Indian team for the upcoming WorldSkills Competition 2024, scheduled to take place in Lyon, France, from 10 to 15 September. THSC conducted extensive competitions across the country, leading to the selection of 102 top competitors in the hospitality skill categories of Bakery, Cookery, Restaurant Services, Patisserie and Confectionery, and Hotel Reception. Competitors from various regions demonstrated exceptional skills through multiple selection rounds to earn their place in the IndiaSkills National Competition. To represent India at the WorldSkills Competition, these candidates underwent a rigorous selection process, including 16 hours of hands-on competitions. The finalists were chosen during the IndiaSkills 2024 – National Competition for Hospitality Skills in Delhi. The primary goal of these competitions was to identify and nurture the right talent. Each finalist is being trained and mentored by a dedicated expert from the skill management team, providing specialized training to ensure the competitors are well-prepared to represent India on the global stage. “Our aim is to offer a platform for young professionals to showcase their talents and skills, contributing to the growth of the hospitality industry. By competing on a global stage like WorldSkills, these individuals not only bring pride to our nation but also set a benchmark for excellence in hospitality. We are committed to providing them with the best training and mentorship to ensure they are fully prepared to meet the high standards of this prestigious competition. Their success will inspire future generations and reinforce India’s position as a leader in skill development,” said Rajan Bahadur, CEO, THSC. The Indian contingent for WorldSkills 2024 includes: Bakery: Sasmita Bardhan …

To mark the reopening of Notre Dame after 5 years, a 3-day reopening ceremony is planned from 7-9 Dec 2024. “There will be a worldwide telecast of the reopening ceremony. Individual visitors can visit the church from 17 December onwards and it will be open to groups only by June 2025,” Olivier Josse, Secretaire General, Notre Dame. 

The next edition of Rendezvous France is scheduled to take place on 1-2 April 2025 in Lyon. This year, the country is all set to offer a sports and cultural extravaganza with the Olympic Games Paris 2024. “We are expecting over 100 million international visitors,” said Caroline Leboucher, MD, Atout France.

In a tweet, Ministry of Civil Aviation has announced that passengers travelling under air bubble arrangements with France, Germany & Netherlands can further travel to EU/Schengen area, South American & African countries. Travellers of bubble arrangement between India-Qatar & India-UAE can further travel to South America & Africa. Passengers travelling under Air Bubble arrangement between India & Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda & Tanzania can also travel to any country in Africa. Passengers travelling between India- Ukraine can travel to and from CIS countries, except Russia. Nepalese & Bhutanese passengers along with Indian nationals have been allowed to travel under air bubble arrangements with Ethiopia, France, Germany, Iraq, Kenya, Netherlands, Qatar, Rwanda, Tanzania, Ukraine & UAE.

Air India will operate additional flights between India and the UK from December 11, 2020 until March 27, 2021. Also, the national carrier will operate additional flights between India & France from 3rd January to 22nd March, 2021 under the air bubble agreement. The UK flight will be Delhi-Amritsar-Birmingham every Friday and Birmingham-Amritsar-Delhi every Saturday. Bookings are now open. These flights are in addition to the existing flights operating between India and the UK.  The new Delhi-Paris flights will be operating four days a week in the new year – from Delhi to Paris on Thursdays and Sundays, and from Paris to Delhi on Mondays and Fridays

Hardeep Singh Puri, Minister of Civil Aviation, has said that international operations will begin in air bubbles now, which will be active with a few countries including France, US and the UAE. He further revealed that air bubbles will operate for a while and only then will regular international operations begin. “Negotiations are at an advanced stage with at least three countries. We formally signed for Air France operating 28 flights from Paris to New Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru between 18th July and 1st August. Apart from that we have an agreement with United Airlines to operate 18 flights between 17th and 31st July. We have requests from Germany also, and the negotiations with Lufthansa are almost done. Some details have to be worked out,” he said.

The British Prime Minister and President Macron have stressed the need for close bilateral, European and international cooperation in the fight against Covid-19. No quarantine measures would apply to travellers coming from France to the UK at this stage; any measures on either side would be taken in a concerted and reciprocal manner. The leaders spoke about the need to manage the risk of new transmissions arising from abroad, as the rate of coronavirus decreases domestically. In this regard, the Prime Minister and the President agreed to work together in taking forward appropriate border measures. This cooperation is particularly necessary for the management of our common border. A working group between the two governments will be set up to ensure this consultation throughout the coming weeks.

A survey conducted by International Air Transport Association (IATA) at the beginning of April reveals that as many as 47% of air passengers surveyed wished to begin travelling within a month or two (by May or June). The survey, conducted across 11 countries (including India), also revealed that at least 4 per cent still continued being sceptical and did not wish to travel for the foreseeable future. Respondents for the survey were from Australia, Canada, Chile, France, Germany, India, Japan, Singapore, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom and the Unites States.

Heavy rain and winds from Storm Fabien brought the island of Corsica to a standstill with flight cancellations during the Christmas holidays. The airport in Ajaccio remained closed on Monday due to flooding on the runway. Images showed severe flooding at the airport located on the French island’s western coast. Air Corsica cancelled 50 flights and said that they were working to create an airbridge in northern Corsica (Haute-Corse). They said they were working to add 51 flights to France and Belgium from Bastia in Haute-Corse. Mainland France also suffered heavy rain and winds.

Atout France – France Tourism Development Agency, Leading Hotels of the World and bespoke travel company Destination Globe, recently collaborated for an exclusive pictorial lookbook that showcases France’s premium tourism destinations. Titled ‘Experience France’, this lookbook invites discerning travellers to discover France’s signature destinations or ‘Marques Mondiales’ such as Alsace, Alpes-Mont Blanc, Biarritz Pays Basques, Burgundy, Brittany, Bordeaux, Côte d’Azur, Corsica, Champagne, Languedoc-Mediterranean, Lyon, Normandy, Provence, Paris, Toulouse-Pyrénées and the Loire Valley, its ‘poles d’excellence’ or areas of expertise that include gastronomy, wine trails, summer in the French Alps and classic nuances of the French savoir-faire; all this coupled with glimpses of legendary French hospitality that is a hallmark of France’s  renowned art de vivre. “Experience France” was unveiled in Mumbai by M Yves Perrin, Consul General de France a Mumbai in the presence of a  select gathering of distinguished guests at a gastronomic restaurant in the first week of September. Sheetal Munshaw, Director, Atout France India, shares her thoughts, “We believe that every traveller now is an experiential traveller and is looking for destinations that provide an immersive and authentic sojourn. The appeal of France lies in its versatility; the entire country is a feast for the senses and offers something for everyone- irrespective of their age or interests. Experience France is our attempt to invite the avid traveller to embark on a pictorial discovery of our signature tourism brands that already benefit from global renown and learn more about authentic experiences unique to these destinations. We hope that this endeavour inspires our readers to plan their next experiential sojourn in France”. Parul Mehta, Partner, Destination Globe, adds, “Destination Globe is synonymous with exclusivity and a service bespoke to the desires …