France had a fantastic summer from the Middle East, Karim Mekachera, Director Atout France, Middle East, told TTN’s Kim Thomson at The Workshop France Mediterranean. The Middle East travellers may have saved the season with their visits to France’s Palaces and five-star hotels in the French Riveira.
More than 1.2 million tourists from the Middle East visited France this year, including Israel and Turkey. “Without these two markets it is 1 million - including the Levant and the GCC. These travellers typically travel first to Paris as this is the main gateway, and then to the French Riviera. The duration of stay is 9.4 nights.”
“There is a shift today in the way the travellers and including the Middle East travellers choose a destination. France for the Middle East is mainly a leisure destination. We have three main segments; first is the families then a new trend is the youth, the younger group traveller, we are seeing ladies travelling together, and of course, young couples - the newlyweds. We have men travelling together, as well as corporates that are mixing business with leisure.
“Another new trend is appearing, which is The French Alps. We were talking about the young travellers. This has been due to my colleagues coming to the region over the past few years and it has paid off as now, the Middle East is the 10th top Market for French Alps This trend started before the Pandemic and people wanting to be outdoors.”
Traditionally more than 60 per cent of business from the region has come through the travel trade, Mekachera says. “When I first came to the Middle East over 13 years ago, it was even more. But because of internet it has shifted, but still, for our region, visitors need someone they can to talk to if something goes wrong and people are over cautious and really don’t want to take the risk - having that relationship with a travel agent helps ease their minds.
“The last 3 ½ years Atout France has been creating a complete digital ecosystem in Arabic and we are on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. We are doing really well on Twitter in Saudi Arabia. We see that people ask for a lot of information, so we see that the internet is there to provide a lot of information, then after they go to their agent for the booking. This was a pattern before, and is still the pattern.
“With Dubai taking the bold step to reopen we were able to run our Maharba Europe event in May.
“The big project that we are working still on alongside is Expo 2020 Dubai. Our Marhaba France which we have been running for a number of years now, we are launching Marharba France, The Road Show from March 6 to 10, 2022. It will be in two parts; it will be a road show in four countries: Saudi Arabia (Riyadh & Jeddah), Kuwait, Qatar and finishing on 10th on the French Pavilion in Expo 2020 in Dubai. We will invite not only delegation from UAE but also some of our colleagues the Levant (Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan) my colleagues from France Bureau India, Israel and Russia. We will have one full day at French Pavilion and after a half day of meeting. in one of the hotels and big incentive with everybody. The road show will be completely a’la carte so that the partners can choose which countries they want to take part in as they all may not work with each individual country. Dubai, however, is compulsory.”