ATOUT FRANCE GETS COMFORTABLE

Thursday, 20 September 2012

ATOUT FRANCE GETS COMFORTABLE

Comfort was the order of the evening as ATOUT France and its partners meet with the Canadian travel media

Zachary-Cy Vanasse

Armelle Tardy-Joubert, director for Canada, ATOUT France; Marion Fabre, press attaché, Marseille Office of Tourism and Business; Olivia Poncy, USA and Canada promotion manager, Rhône-Alpes Toursim; Jacques Daoulas, promotion manager,Midi-Pyrénées Regional Tourism Commission; Rabiha Benaissa, press officer, Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur Regional Tourism Commission; Samina Sabir public relations manager, Rail Europe & Melanie Paul-Hus, publications & press coordinator, ATOUT France, Canada

ATOUT France and five travel partners were in Toronto on Wednesday evening to meet exclusively with the travel media. It was the first time the French tourism office has held an event strictly for the Canadian travel media, according to Melanie Paul-Hus, publications & press coordinator, ATOUT France, Canada.

“We are trying something new tonight,” said Paul-Hus of the event, which was held at Mildred’s Temple Kitchen in Toronto’s Liberty Village.

ATOUT France partners Midi-Pyrénées Regional Tourism Commission, Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur Regional Tourism Commission, Marseille Office of Tourism and Business, Rhône-Alpes Toursim and Rail Europe first met with the nearly 50 members of the media in attendance during a networking cocktail.

Travel comfortably in France

The theme of the evening was comfort, which, as Armelle Tardy-Joubert, director for Canada, ATOUT France, pointed out, seemed appropriate considering the cooling weather and the rich French foods served during the evening’s dinner.

“Travel is a quest where comfort is becoming more and more important,” said Tardy-Joubert.

Armelle Tardy-Joubert, director for Canada, ATOUT France

With its particular brand of joie de vivre influencing a significant portion of its travel offering and its standards for well-being, France naturally lends itself to a comfort travel mind frame, according to Tardy-Joubert. In the interest of bringing France in line with the international norms, and allowing clients to more easily assess the right hotel for them, France unveiled a new hotel classification system this past July, Tardy-Joubert said.

The various tourism partners took the opportunity to make a short presentation to the media, with each emphasizing the considerable money and effort invested in their region in the interest of increasing their respective tourism draw.

Marseille, European Capital of Culture

As the European Capital of Culture for 2013, Marseille has made significant investments in its overall presentation, offerings, events and transportation. Millions of Euros have gone into turning Marseille into a cultural capital of its own right, even in the shadow of Paris.

Marseille's Euro-Mediterranean project aims to transform Marseille into a contemporary city in which art, architecture and sustainable living come together.

Variety of regions, variety of offerings

Each partner also presented a video demonstrating the variety of tourism options on offer in each of their respective regions. A mix of modern urban offerings, important cultural events, rich history, multi-seasonal activities and awe-inspiring landscapes were present throughout each of the destination video presentations. Meanwhile, Rail Europe reminded that it can connect each of the regions through its many rail options.

“France, and its multitude of destinations, provides everything you need to simplify of your stay,” said Tardy-Joubert. “We hope that this event, organized with our partners, serves as an inspiration for you, your readers and listeners.”

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