France is one of the most popular countries in the world. Many travelers decide to visit France due to the number of amazing places it has to offer. However, if we look at it from a different perspective, we can ask ourselves, how important is tourism in France?
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Tourism in France
In France, tourism is one of the biggest industries. The country is not only located at the center of Western Europe, but it also has Europe’s second biggest and busiest airport, meaning thousands of travelers flying from all over the world, and plenty of international connections.
Furthermore, as a country, France can provide a diverse historic heritage and one of the most diversified natural environments in comparison to other countries. A lot of its tourist attractions exemplify the history of humanity, starting from the prehistoric era of Cro Magnon to the most attractive aspects of modern design.
Nonetheless, having beautiful cities and well-known structures such as the iconic Eiffel Tower is not enough. Tourism goes beyond welcoming people into a country, and this is why the Government has decided to introduce a national tourism promotion plan.
The Government’s plan
Accounting to get more jobs and to increase the GDP, tourism in France is a key sector for the French economy. France is among the world’s leading destinations with more than 80 million tourists the past 4 years.
France’s Government wants to reach 100 million tourists by 2022, but given the actual conditions, that number could decrease due to the effects of Covid-19. Still, there was a meeting of the Tourism Promotion Council, responsible for outlining a strategy for 2020 and onwards.
This council worked on six fields:
- Gastronomy.
- Oenology.
- Destinations.
- Brands.
- Digital sphere.
- Hotel business.
Therefore, of all the proposals, the following were the most discussed ones:
Improving reception facilities
Reception facilities need to become a national priority, while ensuring good travel preparations such as facilitating visa approvals, enriching the tourist content and that everything works efficiently.
Adapt a cohesive promotion strategy
It has to be done based on a limited number of world-known destination brands to be able to focus both the financial resources and people’s effort.
Using technology
Technology is a big part of today’s world, and the goal is to develop digital technologies to improve aspects such as citypass so that tourists don’t waste too much time while they get to know the cities and the people.
Improve training
People who work in the tourism industry need training, and if the emphasis is put on foreign language skills, general culture and digital expertise, everything will be easier.
Training programs need to be divided into sections, where all of the categories mentioned above are included. The creation of a research section devoted to tourism should help to unite the academic and professional field within the sector.
Online training is going to be developed so that everyone is included.
Tourism strategy
One of the main goals that the French Government is trying to pursue is introducing a tourism investment strategy that focuses on creating a fund. The program is going to include a special tourism component, available to businesses that want to participate to boost their products and services.
Support for other initiatives
Support for initiatives will likely focus on showcasing both regional and product variety. Europe is a diverse continent, where thousands of citizens come from different places, and a program called European Heritage Days is being developed, where gastronomy is going to be the main attraction.
The future of France’s tourism
Even though Covid-19 is still around, more and more countries are deciding to reopen their airports, and people are getting their suitcases ready to start flying, and France will remain as a highly popular country to visit.
Everything about the country is appealing, starting from the cities, to the food and the European heritage. Just like any other country in Europe, France is able to mix the historical aspect with the modern architecture, so it offers the best of both worlds.
Depending on the lockdown restrictions and if cases continue increasing, then the Government could reach its goal of welcoming 100 million tourists in the next 4 years or more.