French tourism capitalizes on major developments with the Olympics among events that boosted interest
France’s tourist trade has entered 2025 on a roll, with the country now benefiting from welcome 2024 developments that cast a favourable light on the Gallic nation.
France’s Toronto consul general Bertrand Pous told a Feb. 18 Toronto gathering — one of a number of cross-country road shows being staged by French tourist board Atout France — that his homeland’s tourism industry has benefited from the likes of Paris last year staging the Summer Olympics and ParaOlympic Games, the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings and the reopening of Paris’ Notre Dame Cathedral following a closure of several years to repair the fire damage.
Forecast figures for international visitor numbers and revenues in 2024 are a record 100 million international visitors, he stated, while adding that international revenues also reached a record high.
“The momentum is quite remarkable,” said Pous, who reported that 2025 international visitations to date are up another 10%.
Nathalie Delattre, minister delegate for tourism has said France “must move up a gear by becoming the leading destination for sustainable tourism. Our objective is twofold: to capitalize on the unprecedented success of 2024, which put France on the world map, and to support the sector’s transition. There are many challenges to be met: improving the quality of our offer and spreading visitor numbers throughout the year, supporting the sector in its ecological and digital transition, enhancing the appeal of our professions, and ensuring the preservation of social and inclusive tourism.”
Mélanie Paul-Hus, director of Atout France’s Canadian office and also on hand in Toronto, invited those who work in tourism to test new France travel formulas. “We look forward to welcoming you to France, the French Caribbean and overseas, and to offering you unique experiences, including the 2030 Winter Games and sustainable travel tailored to the needs and desires of Canadians.”
The evening also saw Air France’s Renee Benard report that the airline’s two European hub provide easy connections, and the passenger experience is also enhanced by new Business cabins available on departures from Toronto, Vancouver and some Montreal flights. Air France Premium also offers new seats with wireless charging and Bluetooth from Toronto and Vancouver.
Affiliated KLM’s World Business cabins are available from Toronto, Calgary and Edmonton.
Passengers can take advantage of the Air France lounge in Montreal and the KLM Crown Lounge in Toronto before departure or during stopovers. Air France and KLM together have seven stopovers in Canada, and provide free shuttles between Ottawa, Quebec City and Montreal for those bound for Paris or Amsterdam. A partnership with WestJet provides connections to 35 Canadian cities.
In addition, a plane-train combination with SNCF makes it easy to explore many French cities. This summer will see KLM inaugurate a flight to Biarritz.
Air Canada regional sales manager Yasdan Bakhtiary in turn cited the airline’s direct connections from Montreal to Paris, Lyon, Toulouse, Nice, Fort-de-France and Pointe-à-Pitre.
A partnership with SNCF and AccessRail means new Air Canada air-rail connections can facilitate travel within France, he said. As well, Aeroplan members now benefit from free text messaging, and, come May, free and fast Wi-Fi access will be found on flights to North America and sun destinations. The service will be extended to long-haul flights in 2026.
Air Canada is committed to accessibility, becoming the first North American carrier to adopt the Sunflower program for people with invisible disabilities, noted Bakhtiary, who also praised the carrier’s efforts to achieve carbon neutrality.
Attendees were also told by AIr Transat’s Laura Albrow that her carrier has a global network that includes a strong France presence.
“Think of Air Transat when you’re talking about France because it is kind of synonymous,” she said.
Albrow noted that her airline now has a joint venture with Porter Airlines. “We’ve gotten engaged,” she joked of the ties between the carriers.
Meanwhile, Benard offered her airline’s “heartfelt support for the passengers and Delta” crew who were on the Delta Airlines plane that overturned in Toronto, noting the strong ties between Delta and both Air France and KLM.
