30 Oct 2018
Atout France is pleased to announce that we will be present at this year's WTM on stand EU300, from Monday 5th until Wednesday 7th November at the ExCel Centre in London. We are delighted to welcome 87 partners including 8 worldwide brand representatives, with the Paris Region Tourist Board heading its own stand. Also, 2 Excellence zones dedicated to Remembrance Tourism and Top French Cities will be part of this year's edition.
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FRENCH PAVILLION - WHAT'S ON THIS YEAR?
Centre-Val-de-Loire (Loire Valley – 500 years of Renaissance) and Paris Region Tourist Board will be the two main sponsors and therefore the French Pavillion's official co-hosts alongside Atout France this year.
Atout France and its partners will be welcoming Valérie Pécresse, President of the Paris Ile-de-France Region, as a special guest on 5 November at 12.00 to the French Pavilion (stand EU300). She will address the partners, tour operators and media attending WTM the positive results for Paris in 2017 as well as the key projects for the years to come. Please do let us know if you are interested in attending on pressoffice.uk@atout-france.fr. Refreshments will be served.
Also, we are delighted to invite you to two special networking events at the WTM Atout France stands this year.
The first event hosted by the Normandy Tourist Board (French Pavillion – EU300) will be held on Monday 5th from 16.30 - 17.30. The drinks reception, perfected by a live Acapella performance, will be dedicated to the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings and the Battle of Normandy. In 2019, this anniversary will be commemorated across all 4 corners of the region with events and festivities such as parades, firework displays, air shows and military re-enactments.
The second event is for Remembrance Tourism on Tuesday 6th from 12.30 - 14.30.
Remembrance tourism will again have its own dedicated area on the French stand. Partners working together are Amiens Metropole Tourist Office, Somme Battlefields and Aisne Tourism Agency. To mark the Armistice happening only a few days after WTM, Amiens Metropole Tourist Office and Atout France will be hosting a special 'Remembrance' event to commemorate The Great War peace centenary. This gathering will be a nod to the WW1 battle of Amiens which occurred less than a week before the official end of the war.
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TOURISM FIGURES
France witnessed 86.7 million tourist arrivals in 2017, up 5.1% from the previous year. Of these, 78.7% came from Europe (+5.6% from 2016) (sources: DGE, Banque de France and Enquête EVE).
The UK remained the main source market for inbound travellers to France in 2017 with 12.7 million tourist arrivals, representing a 6% increase on 2016. Brits are still the primary foreign clientele visiting France, representing almost 15% of the total number of international tourists, followed respectively by those from Germany, Belgium/Luxembourg and Switzerland.
France is still the second favourite destination for British travellers – behind Spain and ahead of Italy – as well as the second favourite for family holidays and business trips. For mini breaks and winter sports holidays, France remains the British number one.
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NEW TRANSPORT ROUTES
Ryanair
- London Stansted – Nantes, from 02/10/2018, winter only
- London Stansted – Dole, from 22/12/18, winter only
- Manchester – Marseille, from 02/04/2019, summer only
- Manchester – Bordeaux, from 03/04/2019, summer only
- Dublin – Bordeaux, from 04/04/2019, summer only
- Dublin – Lourdes, from 03/06/2019, summer only
- London Southend – Brest, from 05/04/2019, summer only
EasyJet
- Liverpool – Toulouse, from 28/10/18, winter only
- London Stansted – Lyon, from 16/12/18, winter only
Wizz Air
- London Luton – Grenoble, from 15/12/18, winter only
British Airways
- London Heathrow – Grenoble, from 02/12/2018, winter only
- London Heathrow – Bastia, from 25/05/2019, summer only
Jet2
- Birmingham – Bergerac, from 25/05/2019, summer only
- Manchester – La Rochelle, from 25/05/2019, summer only
Aer Lingus
- Cork – Nice, from 01/05/2019, summer only
Flybe launched additional flights for Christmas and New Year to destinations previously only available in the summer season:
- Southampton – Bordeaux
- Southampton – La Rochelle
- Southampton – Limoges
- Southampton – Rennes
Aer Lingus also announced the extension of its current summer route between Dublin and Toulouse, which will offer four flights per week as of winter 2019.
Finally, from 31 March, the annual liaison between Manchester – Paris Charles de Gaulle operated by Air France will be taken over by the airline company Joon, a new Air France branch targeting millennials.
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MEET THE PARTNERS ON THE STAND
Meet the Atout France team and partners to get the lowdown on the exciting major events to hit the headlines in France for 2019.
FIFA WOMEN'S FOOTBALL WORLD CUP 2019
France (various cities)
7 June – 7 July
The 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup will be the eighth edition of the championship (formerly known as the Women's World Championship), contested by national teams of the member associations of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association. France won its role as host in March 2019 and it will be its first time to do so, and Europe's third. Matches are planned in nine French cities: Montpellier, Nice, Lyon, Grenoble, Reims, Rennes, Valenciennes, Le Havre and Paris.
www.fifa.com/womensworldcup/index.html
MUSÉE MER MARINE
Bordeaux, Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Spring 2019
With the foundations laid in April 2016, this long-anticipated maritime museum will finally open in the Bassins à Flot area of Bordeaux, with around 40 paintings and 20 drawings by Monet put on temporary display for the occasion. Conceived by entrepreneur Norbert Fradin, the museum will present the universal history of navigation, the main discoveries in oceanography and the new scientific conquest of the seas.
https://mmmbordeaux.com/ (French only)
A NEW 'LES VILLAGES CLUBS DU SOLEIL'
Les 2 Alpes, Isere
22 december 2018
90 rooms with 2 to 8 beds spread over 6 floors, complete with lifts. A new resort just 100 metres away from the slopes. A real all-inclusive package for a reasonable budget : Accommodation, full-board, snow all-inclusive (package and ski equipment), kids clubs for all ages, entertainment, swimming pool access.
www.villagesclubsdusoleil.com/en/our-destinations/winter/mountain/les-2-alpes
VIVA LEONARDO DA VINCI 2019! 500 YEARS OF THE RENAISSANCE IN LOIRE VALLEY
Centre-Val-de-Loire
2019
2019 will mark the 500th anniversary of the death of Leonardo da Vinci at Amboise, the start of the construction of the Château of Chambord and the birth of Catherine de' Medici in Florence. The Loire Valley region will celebrate the artistic, scientific and intellectual effervescence of the Renaissance in France with a major programme of events, trips and exhibitions.
FESTIVAL DE LA LOIRE 2019
Orléans (Loiret), Centre-Val-de-Loire
September 2019
The guest of honor river Festival 2019 Loire will be the Thames. The main river of England, the Thames has many points in common with the Loire. Starting with the use of flat-bottomed boats, because of the sometimes shallow river depths. Like Orleans and the Loire, the Thames nurtures a special relationship with London, a participant in its activity and fame. All this heritage will be to discover from September 18 to 22, 2019, during the 9th Festival de Loire, the largest meeting of the fluvial marine.
http://www.orleans-metropole.fr/1014/accueil.htm
MODERN ART AT FONTEVRAUD
Fontevraud-l'Abbaye, Pays de la Loire
Autumn 2019
A new museum of modern art will open at Fontevraud Abbey, containing major 19th- and 20th-century works by Corot, Dubuffet, Degas, Toulouse-Lautrec, Derain and Delaunay. The region of Pays de la Loire has invested €8.6 million in the museum, which will open in the former stables and is intended to receive the 'Musée de France' label. Fontevraud is the largest collection of monastic buildings in France, burial place of three English royals – Henry II, Richard the Lionheart and Eleanor of Aquitaine –and today a cultural centre, with concerts, exhibitions/artists in residence and an outdoor cinema. The on-site hotel has a Michelin-starred restaurant and guests have access to the abbey all night long.
75th ANNIVERSARY OF THE D-DAY LANDINGS AND THE BATTLE OF NORMANDY
Manche, Calvados and Orne - Normandy
1 – 9 June
All eyes will be on Normandy in 2019 as Thursday 6 June marks the 75th anniversary of the D-Day Landings and the Battle of Normandy – a momentous occasion to celebrate peace, liberty and reconciliation. The D-Day Festival will run from 1-9 June with a rich, unprecedented programme of events bringing the memory of this tragic period of world history to life, all the while emphasising the spirit of hope. The 75th anniversary will be commemorated with events and festivities such as parades, firework displays, air shows and military re-enactments.
THE CHRONICLES OF THE MOUNT" - Part 2
Abbey of Mont-Saint-Michel, Normandy
7 July to 1st September
"Amaclio Productions' New Night Show. Its silhouette is so familiar that its success no longer surprises us. However, Mont-Saint-Michel has not revealed all its mysteries. Its fascination is the result of its perfection, the result of a fine alchemy that you can taste. For that, open the fascinating Chronicles of the Mount.They are revealed at night in the heart of the abbey, when the millennia fade away and Nature, Man and the Eternal compose a wonderful symphony of visions, fulgurances and sound mirages. (Centre des Monuments Nationaux).
http://leschroniquesdumont.fr/en
100th ANNIVERSARY OF VICTORINE MOVIES STUDIOS
Nice, PACA
2019
2019 will mark the 100th anniversary of the Victorine Studios in Nice, film industry mecca on the Côte d'Azur. Since 1919 – around the time the first studios in Hollywood were built – the Victorine Studios have played host to the likes of Alfred Hitchcock, Woody Allen, Brigitte Bardot, Grace Kelly and Lauren Bacall, plus many other talented film directors and actors. The Victorine's history is a turbulent one, but quintessentially 'south of France', complete with jet-set glamour, tragedy and shady subplots that will be revealed through various cultural events next year.
(Calendar of events and link to come)
PARIS REGION PASS
Paris, Île-de-France
2019
The Paris Region Pass offers a range of unmissable activities to discover Paris and the surrounding region at your own pace. It is all you need for your stay, in a single card: Unlimited public transport (metro, bus, RER) in all of Paris and its region and a selection of experiences to choose from. The pass can be pre-booked from the comfort of your home and comes as a 3-day or 5-day package.
https://www.visitparisregion.com/en/
ATTENTION MENHIR! The new 4D attraction at Parc Astérix
Paris, Île-de-France
2019
An exclusive and immersive adventure for Astérix and Obélix! A film in 4D with spectacular special effects in a new 300-seat theatre. An adventure that is brimming with humour inspired by the imagination of René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo
GALERIES LAFAYETTE OPENS ON THE CHAMPS-ÉLYSÉES
Paris, Île-de-France
Spring 2019
Department store Galeries Lafayette is due to open a branch at 52 Avenue des Champs-Élysées. The 97,000-square-foot store, which represents around a tenth of the Boulevard Haussmann flagship (the equivalent of one floor), is set to open in spring 2019 in a protected Art-Deco building dating from 1932, which was formerly a bank. The store has been designed by an experimental architect, Denmark's Bjarke Ingels, who has never before worked on a retail project – and will feature Instagram-friendly features, a panoramic restaurant and a team of staff with 'exciting personalities' who will embrace the 'new Parisian'.
REOPENING OF LA PISCINE MUSEE D'ART ET D'INDUSTRIE
Roubaix, Somme
20 October 2018
In autumn 2016, the City of Roubaix began work to extend the museum, which will make it possible to complete the content of the collection tour and to improve the conditions of visit. With more than 2000 m2 additional, the new spaces dedicated to the History of Roubaix, temporary exhibitions, sculpture, the Roubaix Group and young audiences promise a historical enrichment of the visitor experience and the services offered by the museum. After 18 months of work and six months of closure, necessary for the installation of the new presentations, La Piscine reopens on October 20, 2018.
GARDENS OF PEACE
Péronne, Thiepval, Somme
November 2018
Damaged by the brutality of the twentieth century conflicts, the Hauts-de-France Region has chosen to celebrate the heritage of tomorrow and to afirm the resilience of the territory through landscape, contemporary gardens and artistic creation. Art & jardins – Hauts-de-France and the Great War Centenary Mission, who are managing the project, will bring a strong and lasting project, in the colours of the nations affected by this global conflict. Official opening of the first 12 Gardens of Peace in November 2018.
http://www.artetjardins-hdf.com/
HOTEL MAROTTE
Amiens, Picardie
April 2019
The expansion also includes a multimedia seminar room, an ultramodern spa built in the form of a fitness trail and a gourmet restaurant that will be called "La Galerie des recettes" and will have about 60 seats.
https://www.hotel-marotte.com/en/
THE LAST IMPRESSIONISTS
Musée des Beaux Arts, Quimper, Brittany
21 June - 29 September 2019
The exhibition is dedicated to The New Society of Painters and Sculptors (1900-1922), one of the most famous artists' brotherhood in French and European art. For half a century, before modernity would gradually devour everything, these artists seduced audiences on both sides of the Atlantic. Born of the generation marked by impressionism, each of them had his own style, perfectly identifiable, but all shared a sentimental vision of nature, described as intimate. Intimacy was the last major current of French art to be devoted to nature, and these artists were regarded by the observers of their time as the last representatives of Impressionism.
-ENDS-
For further information please contact:
Anne Pedersen, Head of PR at Atout France
anne.pedersen@atout-france.fr
Tel. 020 7061 6624, www.france.fr
About Atout France
Atout France - France Tourism Development Agency, is responsible for promoting the development of the tourism industry, the country's largest economic sector. Atout France's primary mission is to monitor and analyse the supply and demand in the tourist market. Atout France is also committed to promoting destinations and tourism partners in and from France. This is achieved through marketing campaigns, online promotion, PR and working closely with the travel trade sector. Atout France is represented in the UK and Ireland from its office in London.
