France: don't miss these 50 new attractions for 2018/2019

News / Tourism Board

04-02-2018 9:20 am

Two-thousand tourism professionals, including some twenty tour operators from Quebec, went to Paris yesterday to take part in a 13th colossal edition of Rendez-vous in France to meet French regional stakeholders.

PAXnouvelles.com had the exclusive opportunity to chat with the main representatives of this event.

Tourism in France shows no sign of slowing down, and this summary is a great resource to keep for your customers in love with France!

Where does Canada stand?

In an interview with PAXnouvelles.com, Mélanie Paul-Hus, director of Atout France in Canada, was delighted with the Rendez-vous in France:

"For tour operators, it's a good opportunity to meet and solicit some suppliers. It is a nice contact, because it even allows some agencies to specialize. We realize that, globally, France meets the needs of almost all customers. The French way of life, which visitors are particularly looking for, is omnipresent, regardless of the type of stay."

However, if the irresistable interest that Quebecers feel towards France does not change, the way they go there is transformed.

Themes become more precise, more specialized, more refined; nature tourism, especially in the field of bicycle-routes, would see a marked increase, according to the director, as the trend of slow travel. River tourism also continues to gain important market shares.

"Fewer and fewer people are choosing the 10-day bus tours that fly too quickly across the four corners of France. "Quebec is a market where we enjoy a lot of notoriety, but we try to promote it differently, to encourage discoveries and alternative stays."

Note that France recorded an 11 per cent gain only in the Canadian market compared to 2015. The country should have welcomed a total of 89 million visitors in 2017, representing 50 billion euros in economic revenues.

Major news by region

In Brittany:

Inauguration of the Hotel du Conquet at Pointe Sainte-Barbe (34 rooms all sea view, 4 stars, with spa and restaurant, from 120 euros per night).
Inauguration of the Le Nessay hotel in Saint-Briac-sur-Mer (17 rooms, 4 stars, lenessay.com).

Saint-Malo Port.

In Paris:

Cabaret show performances by Jean Paul Gaultier Fashion Freak Show at the Folies Bergère from 2 October.
Reopening of the Museum of Romantic Life after extensive renovations.
Opening of the Atelier des Lumières, the first Parisian centre dedicated to digital art.
Launch of the "Gaston workshops" of pastry and bakery at Les Yachts de Paris.
Inauguration of several hotels: Hotel Auteuil Tour Eiffel (102 rooms, 4 stars); Fauchon Hotel Paris (54 rooms, Place de la Madeleine, service inspired by chef Fauchon); Hotel Lutetia (184 rooms, 5 stars, Saint-Germain-des-Prés); Mob Hotel (92 rooms, Saint-Ouen, focused on artistic creation); Hotel & Spa Royal Madeleine (58 rooms); Hotel Rond-Point Champs-Elysees (36 rooms); Courtyard Paris Roissy Charles de Gaulle (240 rooms, 4 stars).

The Eiffel Tower.

In Provence:

Inscription of the Radiant City Le Corbusier de Marseille at the UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Opening of the NH Marseille Palm Beach hotel in Marseille (160 rooms on the seafront).
Opening of the Maison Mongrand hotel in Marseille (37 boutique-style rooms in the center of the city).
Opening of the Tokoyo Inn hotel in Marseille (231 rooms near the train station) Inauguration of the MuSaMa, the soap museum of Marseille (400 meters of exhibition and garment workshops).
Return from Formula 1 to Le Castellet with tests in the center of Marseille from 21 to 24 June.
Inauguration of the LUMA Foundation in Arles (contemporary art).
Inauguration of the hotel, oenological and architectural project Château Lacoste.
A second large TGV station in Montpellier, Montpellier Sud de France station,will open in June, and will host trains from Spain, Paris and Lyon.
Inauguration of Hotel Costeà Carnon Ouest (5 stars, private beach, thalassotherapy centre).

The village of Gordes in France.

In Bourgogne:

Inauguration of the International City of Gastronomy and Wine in 2019 on the historic site of the former General Hospital of Dijon (cultural project around the gastronomic meal of the French and Climates of the vineyards of Burgundy, both listed in the World Heritage List. On the List of the Intangible Heritage of Humanity).

A bike ride through the wine trails of Bourgogne.

In Normandy:

Calvados Experience in Pont-l'Évêque (new tourist attraction exploring the history, tasting and production of this typically Norman beverage).
Celebrating the 74th Anniversary of the Normandy Landings between May 26 and June 10 in 2019.
Opening for the first time of the gardens of the Château de Chantore near Mont Saint-Michel.
Launch of the ferry service between Dublin and Cherbourg.
Inauguration of the Hotel le Cercle in Cherbourg (67 modern rooms, from 67 euros per night).

The colourful port of Honfleur.

In Occitanie Sud de France:

New direct flight between Paris and Perpignan.
Opening of the Museum of Romanity in Nîmes in June.
New observation platform at the Pic du Midi in the Pyrenees.
Opening of tours of the A350 aircraft on the Aeroscopia side in Toulouse.
Inauguration at the end of 2018 of The Giants' Trail of Toulouse (permanent discovery trail and thematic gardens in an industrial hall transporting the public in the fabulous epic of the pioneers of Aéropostale).
Inauguration of the Mama Shelter Hotel at the end of 2018 in Toulouse (3 stars, restaurants, cinema and rooftop bar).

Toulousse is nicknamed 'The Pink City'.

In Loire Valley :

Launch in 2019 of the celebrations surrounding the 500th anniversary of the Renaissance throughout Val-de-Loire. Major exhibitions on various sites and castles combining modern creation and respect for the past will be scheduled for the occasion. The cultural, architectural and intellectual heritage of Leonardo da Vinci will be at the heart of the program.
Château de Chambord will harvest its first grapes in 2019 following the planting of vines in 2015.
Tour de France from Noirmoutier in Vendée on July 7th.
Reopening of the Museum of Fine Arts in Nantes after four years of works, including works by Chagall, Picasso and Ingres.

The Château de Chambord, the most famous Châteaux of the Loire.

In New Aquitaine:

Beginning of the Wine Festival in Bordeaux from June 15th.
Increase of 39% of the air capacity on Bordeaux with Transat at the rate of three flights per week for this summer from May.
New direct flight between Roissy and La Rochelle.
Opening of the gastronomic Restarurant La Chapelle in the old chapel of the Château Guiraud in the heart of the Sauternes vineyards.
Inauguration of the Chais Monnet hotel in Cognac (5 stars, 92 rooms, ancestral cellar, gourmet restaurant and spa).
Inauguration of the hotel La Grande Terrasse Hotel & Spa La Rochelle Mgallery By Sofitel (located by the sea in front of the island of Ré, gastronomic restaurant Pierre Gagnaire, spa Nuxe).
Inauguration of the hotel La Fabrique in the heart of La Rochelle (3 stars, 58 rooms, atypical decor).

Bordeaux is famous for its wine.

In Lyon:

Inauguration of the Villa MAÏA hotel (5 stars in Fourvières).
Inauguration of the Mob Hotel in the Confluences district (alternative spirit, organic market in the hotel, concept of sustainable development).
Opening of shops in the historic Hotel Dieu with food court in the inner courtyard; will also be inaugurated in 2019, the City of gastronomy.

Lyon is France's food capital.