24 EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW ADVERTORIAL France’s Nouvelle-Aquitaine targets global leading role in sustainable tourism Exclusive Interview – Michel Durrieu, General Director, Regional Tourism Board, Nouvelle-Aquitaine Michel Durrieu General Director, Regional Tourism Board, Nouvelle-Aquitaine WE ARE SEEING A VERY STRONG PROGRESSION IN THE NUMBER OF US VISITORS, UP 23% LAST YEAR. Nouvelle-Aquitaine is the most popular internal destination for French tourists and is constantly growing on the list for foreign visitors. We asked Michel Durrieu, the region’s Director General of Tourism Board how the region has been evolving in this sense. The most important points of evolution include the fact that Nouvelle-Aquitaine now receives over 28 million tourists, including 24.5 million French tourists. The proportion of French tourists has slightly progressed, while the number of foreign visitors is showing very strong growth. Certain destinations in Nouvelle-Aquitaine have seen between 20% and 25% growth in foreign visitors over the past year. Which are the most important source markets? We have seen very strong growth in visitor numbers from Spain, but also a very strong growth in what are considered very mature markets – the UK and Germany. There is a double impact from this – the return of a certain clientele who come back to “rediscover” places they’d previously visited, because the offer has evolved. But they are also discovering internal destinations they didn’t know before. That’s the internal tourism. We are seeing the arrival of an increasing number of German visitors in the Dordogne Valley, in Lascaux for example, where the German market has taken the number one position, whereas it used to be in third or fourth position. So, there are some strong trends. In the past, people would come to Nouvelle-Aquitaine for a long break, and not move around too much. Today, we have noted a strong trend for tourists to travel more and more around Nouvelle-Aquitaine, and globally they are capable of taking road trips of one or two hours from where they are based, and when you look at the region, a lot can be done in the space of a couple of hours. For example, Bordeaux is just an hour and a half from Cognac, which is two hours from La Rochelle - Île de Ré, which is next to Lascaux, next to Biarritz. The foreign tourists are beginning to come to grips with the fact that all these major destinations are very close to one another. What about source markets from further afield? We are seeing a very strong progression in the number of US visitors, up 23% last year. We realise that an increase in capacity in flights from the USA to France has played a role. To this, one can add the fact that it is much easier for American visitors to come here from Paris using the TGV. The Americans love visiting Bordeaux, Cognac, Rochefort – with the replica of the Hermione – Lafayette’s frigate, which took part in the independence celebrations in the USA. The growth in US visitors is in fact accelerating. Then there’s the Canadians, whose rise in tourist numbers is linked to the new direct flights and increase in flight frequencies between Montreal and Bordeaux. We are also seeing a major return in Japanese visitors. There had been a drop in numbers in the past years, but numbers are now higher than they were at their previous peak. The Chinese market is evolving as well. They used to come solely to Bordeaux, but now they are also coming to visit the Dordogne, and to the Arcachon basin. Previously, Chinese visitors would almost always travel in groups. Now there are more and more individual travellers. This is particularly the case when visiting and staying in the Bordeaux vineyards. Bordeaux airport is seeing a lot of new activity. This must be an important factor in your region’s success… Indeed, but one must not forget we have a total of eight international airports in Nouvelle- Aquitaine. The air connectivity of the region, coupled with the TGV connection from Paris and other European capitals allows rapid connections to the region. There’s a huge number of flights from all around Europe, and low-cost airlines are reinforcing their position in the region – and of course at Bordeaux airport – which has been experiencing strong growth over the past few years, with Easyjet and Ryanair bolstering their bases in Bordeaux. So, yes, Bordeaux airport is an important lever for the entire territory. This ITB BERLIN NEWS • Wednesday 6 th March 2019 www.itb-berlin-news.com
