Last autumn two tour operators – NatalieTours and Biblio Globus – started offering sightseeing tours to France. Both operators
are well known for their beach resort tours, thus their expansion to new grounds
was viewed as a menace to the destination by some market players. Yet the results
of early bookings and sales for May holidays are comforting enough for tour operators
to talk about a stable season in France in 2013.
According to the Tourism Development Agency
Atout France, there were 800
thousand Russian tourists in France
throughout 2012. That is 11% more, than in 2011. Paris
itself received 289 thousand visitors from Russia (10-15% increase). So our country
is number ten in the list of top tourist flow suppliers for Paris. The top three positions are occupied by
USA (1.4 million), UK (1 million) and Italy (633 thousand). Paris authorities are planning
to attract more tourists in 2013 and organize interesting events. For instance,
from February to March the Luxembourg
Palace will be exhibiting
works of Marc Chagall. The city hall will be holding a High Fashion of Paris exhibit
from March to July. By the way, in 2013 the Notre Dame de Paris, one of the main
landmarks of Paris,
is celebrating its 850?year anniversary.
“This year the demand for France has come
fast – almost right after the New Year holidays. Whereas last year we had our first
bookings only in February” – says Nikolay Sokolov, Head of the department at Roza
Vetrov Mir. According to him, many operators in 2012 received part of Lanta Tour
client base, after the company went down. Thus most market players felt an increase
in sales. Different sources have different numbers, but the average increase is
around 20-40%, and some companies even say they've doubled their France sales.
The estimates for the current year are
positive as well. Representatives at Vedi Tour Group said that they already have
some bookings for September. And this applies to beach resorts as well as excursion
tours. The prices for tickets and services have gone up, but not critically – about
10%. Yet the experts are sure that the appearance of Natalie Tours and Biblio Globus
will keep them from repeating last year's success. Natalia Brodskaya, Head of the
France department at BSI Group,
notes that in February the price for a Trasaero return ticket to Paris was as low as €199,
whereas the standard price range is around €400. Additional seats are available
because a new carrier, Aigle Azur, has come to the Russian market. “I don't think
this situation is going to be constant. The prices should stabilize in March, when
the destination will start selling actively”, – said Mrs. Brodskaya. According to
her, tours for the end of March (when kids are on holiday) are already almost sold
out. There's much interest in May holidays as well, especially in tours that include
a visit to Disneyland.
Anastasia Menshenina, Head of the department
at Travelsystem, also notes an increased interest towards Paris. Excursion tours of all shapes and colors
are in demand – from weekend sightseeing to 12-day trips. The second most popular
attraction in France is the Chateaux
of the Loire Valley. According to the expert, this year
her company is planning to expand its presence on the south coast of the country
by introducing a Moscow-Nice flight from Aigle Azur, which should be launched early
summer. But this is still to be confirmed, because the company already has some
seats on the flight to Marseille, which is rather close to Nice.
The expert reminded that last summer the
introduction of a flight from Moscow to Marseille
by Air France
really gave a push to the whole destination. And if last year most Russian tourists
were only asking about Provence,
this year the demand is rather high. In order to promote the new region, operators
are offering mixed tours, which include excursions as well as a couple of relaxing
days at the Mediterranean. Anna Leshkova, Senior
Manager at Jazz Tour, is also optimistic about Provence's future. She says that the destination
can become a hit during this season. First of all, thanks to relatively low prices
on airline tickets. The price for a return ticket starts as low as €280. In her
opinion, low transportation costs explain so many senior tourists on the destination
at the moment.
