Outbound

'We want to make France a standalone destination'

With plans to woo the emerging Indian middle class, Frederic Meyer, director (Southeast Asia and India) of Maison de la France, speaks to Neeti Mehra about his plans of making of making France a standalone destination

Frederic Meyer Director (Southeast Asia and India), Maison de la France

You have recently concluded the fourth year of the France Golden Connections trade roadshow. How was the response?

With this edition we brought together over 25 French partners of the Maison de la France, many coming for the first time, including hotels, regional tourism boards and others who believe in this market and are investing in it.

What is your strategy with regards to the travel trade?

We want to build and strengthen relationships with the trade to create awareness of destinations in France, other than the capital city. Introducing a new city in a destination is a big risk. But we have been studying the Indian market closely and have a three-pronged strategy in place. Firstly, we are designing the products for the Indian market, secondly, we are working with the right people including our suppliers who are members of the Maison de La France and thirdly, developing itineraries with tour operators after they develop an understanding of what our country has to offer.

What are your plans for Indian travellers?

We have long-term plans for India and this will be supplemented with consistent marketing activities. But our budget for the year has not increased over the last year so we will concentrate on targeted marketing. Our strategy for 2005-2010 is to focus on promoting the attractiveness of France as a destination through positioning, enhancing the quality of facilities and more development.

Last year, we had 1,50,000 Indian tourists and we are targeting at least 2,00,000 visitors this year. Ultimately, we want to position France as a standalone destination with a wide bouquet of products and I believe that we will achieve this goal in a couple of years.

Is there a shift in your target segment - the FIT?

We are looking at FITS and DINKS. But with the emerging Indian middle class, we have identified a large number of potential clients within this sector. We would also like to showcase destinations where people can go with their families. There is a wrong perception that France is an expensive destination but travellers can take advantage of online packages from tour operators.

What is the average period of stay of Indian travellers and how many days are you looking at?

Usually, Indian travellers stay in France for two to three nights on an average as part of an European tour. We are looking at stretching the length of stay to seven to ten days. It will take time to create a demand for a standalone package, and with the diversity of France, it is easy to create a region-specific package of France like a wine tour perhaps, though it is very exclusive.

We will endeavour to have France featured extensively in European tours. For instance, Cox & Kings is showcasing a third destination in its product portfolio - the Chamonix Valley, Mont Blanc - for the Indian outbound after Paris and the Riviera and it fits in our marketing strategy for 2005-2010.

Which Indian cities are you looking at and what destinations will you be promoting?

The main travellers come from Mumbai and Delhi but we are also seeing travellers from Bangalore and Chennai. The regions in France that we are looking at are Normandy, Provence, Bordeaux, Lourdes, Lyon, etc - destinations that are easy for families to travel to.

Do you plan to concentrate on region-specific promotions or activities?

Well, both go together. In the past six months, region-specific partners such as Provence, and activities such as Moulin Rouge have promoted themselves in India. We can promote destinations through icons and vice versa. Ultimately, we need to push the outbound numbers.

How are you targeting the MICE market?

This is a new avenue for us and it will be one of our focus areas in educating the travel trade. We have received a lot of requests from the incentive market and we offer world-class infrastructure in cities such as Paris, Nice, Cannes, Bordeaux and Lyon, which has a new convention center coming up in June. Also, our strength is enhanced by our partners - the French Convention Group comprising 170 members with the requisite expertise for offering an integrated platform for the MICE segment.