Updates on new attractions and flights. Plenty of networking. And great prizes for travel advisors.
Atout France put on a live, in-person event for agents and the media in Toronto on 21FEB, drawing dozens of advisors to speak with representatives of the Occitanie Region, The French Riviera, Normandy, Martinique as well as airlines and operators.
Air Canada Vacations has unveiled its new Europe collection, and France is a featured destination, its reps said. Advisors can book clients on great tours of Paris and Versailles, as well as Lyon and the French Riviera. One of the offerings is a gourmet tour in Paris; ideal for food and wine lovers.
The big news out of the show was that Air Canada on 01JUN will begin direct flights between Montreal and the city of Toulouse in south-central France. Winter flights will run three times a week, while summer flights will run five times a week. Air Canada also flies from Montreal to Paris and Nice, and from Toronto to Paris.
Toulouse is in the Occitanie region of France, which is twice the size of Belgium. Highlights of the region include:
- The city of Toulouse, the fourth largest city in France and a city with a strong aerospace industry, a dozen museums and a passion for rugby. Five Rugby World Cup games will be played in Toulouse in September of this year.
- Montpellier is surrounded by one of the world’s largest wine regions, the Languedoc. There’s an historic quarter filled with cafes, and the city gets some 300 days of sunshine every year. It’s also just a few kilometers from the Mediterranean.
- The historic city of Carcassonne, a medieval city that dates back to Roman times and is an Instagram knockout. The Canal du Midi runs through the city, which entertains some 2.5 million visitors a year.
- The Pyrenees mountains in southern France are towering, craggy peaks dotted with ski resorts and spa towns. The Cirque de Gavarnie is a fabulous, striking valley that rivals the Canadian Rockies of Alberta.
- Romantic hilltop villages such as Saint-Cirq-Lapopie, Cordes-sur-Ciel and Rocamadour, all fantastic destinations yours truly visited a few years ago (as well as Gavarnie and Lourdes)
- The religious sights of Lourdes, where pilgrims from around the world visit and take part in candle light processions every night from April to October.
- The city of Nimes, which is just a few minutes from Provence and has some of the best-preserved Roman architecture in France, as well as new, modern buildings and four Michelin-starred restaurants. The New York Times named Nimes a top place for visitors to go in 2023.
Occitanie boasts 220 miles of Mediterranean beaches, as well as 66 golf courses, numerous five-star hotels, colourful festivals, and much more.
Travel Recovery, Advisor Travel Academy
Melanie Paul-Hus, Director Canada for Atout France, told Open Jaw that Canadian visits to France have rebounded, now only about eight per cent lower than pre-pandemic. As well, seat capacity is very close to 2019 levels.
Paul-Hus added that Atout France has a travel academy for advisors and is constantly adding new information to the site. https://atoutfrance-e-travelacademy.com/
At the end of the event, Atout France gave away great hotel stays in Paris and the south of France, as well as a week-long stay in Occitanie.
The Atout France event takes place in Calgary on 23FEB and in Vancouver on 24FEB.
