OVERSEAS TERRITORIES ©
OVERSEAS TERRITORIES © Atout France - Eric Larrayadieu France’s Overseas Territories: a Foretaste of Paradise! Do you know that France has twelve overseas islands and territories in the world’s most beautiful places? They are home to 80% of France’s biodiversity, with breath-taking landscapes, a crossbred historical and cultural legacy with American, African, Indian and Kanak origins... and world-renowned savoirfaire as in the case of the Pearls of Tahiti, Martinique rum, vanilla from Reunion Island. With their tropical or subtropical climates, these exotic destinations are ideal when winter arrives in Europe. THE CARIBBEAN 7,000 km to the west of the European continent, we find the French West Indies - Saint-Martin, the islands of Guadeloupe, Martinique - great “get away” destinations in which to relax. On the islands of Guadeloupe or Martinique, the richness of the marine natural parks and rainforests makes these islands a destination of choice for a diving holiday or hiking. Saint-Martin offers beautiful pristine beaches and shopping lovers won’t be disappointed. Creole culture prevails, with a true festive spirit! INDIAN OCEAN 9,345 km from Paris, Reunion Island – an overseas “department” – combines the exoticism of a distant destination with the safety of a French region. For holiday makers looking for the outof-the-ordinary, exchanges, emotions and sensations, the Reunion is truly enchanting. PACIFIC OCEAN: NEW CALEDONIA, TAHITI AND ITS ISLANDS France in the heart of the Pacific: these beautiful archipelagos will satisfy anyone looking for a deserted beach on which to spend a romantic holiday, a playground for water sports or a place that touches and surprises, not forgetting their Pacific Island culture and reputed friendliness. Fort-de-France (FDF), Point-à-Pitre (PTP), Saint-Martin (SFG), Saint-Barthélemy (SBH), La Réunion (RUN), Papeete (PPT), Nouméa (NOU) TRANSPORTS AIR TRANSPORT With nearly 160 airports, France is one of the champions of Europe, counting 1/3 of the total number of regional airports (460 airports within the EU). RAIL TRANSPORT The French rail network is the largest in Europe with 30,000 km of lines in metropolitan France. Train stations have direct relays with regional bus companies and offer travellers a bike rental service through its network of certified “accueil vélo” partners. In addition, the SNCF has, over the past few years, implemented conventions with 30 Airlines, allowing people to travel on both modes of transport with a single ticket, easily reaching major regional cities. BUS TRANSPORT Since 2015, regular new interregional bus routes have been created thanks to the liberalisation of transport markets. These new offers, proposed by transporters such as Ouibus, Transdev or Flixbus, allow passengers to travel to a number of destinations that were previously difficult to reach. 30 France: Destinations to (re)discover france.fr
CONCLUSION Jean-François Pieri Managing Director Cleverdis Increasing Awareness of France’s Assets By their very essence, our activities as a consulting company and suppliers of high added-value information (what we term “Information Intelligence”), brings us to study, analyse, comprehend and then put into perspective information that can facilitate the work of professionals from around the world for whom we work. Our publications aim to be veritable communication platforms on a global level between the different actors of the ecosystem of travel, tourism and hospitality, and to achieve this, we are constantly listening with great attention to the needs and initiatives of those operating on all fronts. This unique position on a global level allows us to assess the relevance of each tool or initiative with regard to the identified needs. We had followed with interest the creation and then implementing the Poles of Excellence and the Destination Contracts by Atout France. These two concurrent initiatives respond to a real need on the part of the market to increase awareness of the assets of France as a whole and to discover new destinations within France itself. We are therefore particularly pleased to have been able to participate in fostering a better knowledge of these factors and to present them according to a methodology that is ours, in the form of a real decision making tool, brief but comprehensive, highlighting clear USPs and Key Figures. Thanks very much to all those who have helped us achieve this work - in particular Atout France and the different players from these destinations who can look forward to strong tourism development. We also thank the Travel Advisors who shared with us their feelings towards these new tools. france.fr France: Destinations to (re)discover 31
