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UK agents to be given help selling France
The French government tourist office is launching a training initiative for UK agents, claiming that agents find selling the country ‘daunting’.
Maison de la France says UK agents are daunted by the size of the country, its diversity, the number of ways of getting there, and the range of accommodation on offer.
Maison de la France head of trade and exhibitions, Jane Dawkins, says bookings through the trade only account for 35% of total UK bookings to the destination. A spokesperson told TravelMole that the other 65% are independent travellers booking directly. She said: “A lot of people visiting France from the UK are Francophiles, so they are pretty au fait with the destination and how to book travel.”
Ms Dawkins said: “We haven’t always paid enough attention to travel agents and the road shows are an attempt to develop their product knowledge and make them aware of the different possibilities that France has to offer, from family camping holidays to weekend skiing and upmarket city breaks.”
The spokesperson added that the road shows were the first step to boosting agents’ knowledge of France. She said that familiarisation trips – which are already organised for operators – were being considered for agents.
Last year 76.7 million people visited France, up 2% on the previous year. French Secretary of State for Tourism, Léon Bertrand, claims this means France retains its position as the world’s most visited destination. The UK was the largest source market, with 14,971 million arrivals in 2002 coming from across the Channel.
The events are being organised in conjunction with French regional tourist boards, Rail Europe, Disneyland Resort Paris and tour operators like French Life and Cresta. They are taking place from 14 – 16 October in Leicester, Manchester and Edinburgh. The road shows are limited to 120 agents per evening and, for further details, agents should contact the hotline number: 0870 752 3434.
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