Atout France – France Tourism Development Agency’s recently concluded B2B showcase (25-29 September) in Udaipur witnessed a record participation of 42 tourism companies from France and more than 80 travel professionals pan-India. This first offline workshop since 2019 witnessed over 2000 meetings taking place over 2 days of productive one-to-one meetings between buyers and suppliers.
In addition to meetings between French and Indian tourism stakeholders, this year’s edition had two thematic panels on weddings and cinema – two segments that have seen a strong rebound in terms of travel to France – for interested French partners. These panels saw a lively interaction between experts in these domains and our French suppliers.
The workshop began with a welcome evening for partners on the 25th at the Jagmandir Palace in the presence of His Excellency, the Ambassador of France to India, Mr. Emmanuel Lenain. Each evening a thematic soiree was organized to encourage informal interactions between the partners and the trade representatives. A gala night – was organized on the 27th in association with La Vallée Village – a member of the Bicester Collection. Aptly titled, “Bling it On”, the soiree was a celebration of all things luxury and took place at the stately Taj Fateh Prakash. This event also marked the 15 years of Atout France India’s independent office established in India.
Sheetal Munshaw, Director Atout France India shared her thoughts; “This edition of the workshop was much awaited as our last two editions took place virtually. The response from both our partners and agents has been overwhelming and we are grateful for all the support that we have received through the years in our endeavor in showcasing France in the Indian tourism landscape. A formidable representation of France’s touristic offering indicates a strong interest in the Indian market and on the other hand, the presence of our trade partners only reinforces France’s strong appeal to the Indian traveler. We were extremely honored by the presence of His Excellency, the Ambassador who despite his busy agenda took the time out to support our workshop. A sincere thank you is also due to La Vallée Village, our partner for the Gala dinner, our wedding and cinema panelists, and of course the French Institute in India who helped us organize the cinema panel”.
