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Bordeaux Bets on Local Know-How to Attract Visitors

August 30, 2026 by Amara Nambinga

Bordeaux mise sur les savoir-faire locaux pour séduire les visiteurs - Depositphotos.com, Dudlajzov

Costa Rica

The craft tourism sector continues to grow in France, and Bordeaux is determined to join this momentum.

The Bordeaux Métropole Tourism and Congress Office (OTCBM) and the Chamber of Trades and Crafts of Nouvelle-Aquitaine – Gironde (CMANA33) signed, on June 29, 2026, a partnership agreement aimed at promoting artisanal trades to both tourists and residents.

This collaboration seeks to make art founders of crafts integral players in the metropolitan tourism offer, while contributing to the territory’s economic and cultural stature.

Betting on a More Experiential Tourism

The development of craft tourism responds to evolving traveler expectations, with a pursuit of authentic and immersive experiences.

According to data from the Directorate General for Enterprises, this segment welcomed 22 million visitors in nearly 4,000 French businesses in 2024, reflecting a rise of more than 30% over five years.

For Bordeaux, this trend represents an opportunity to diversify its tourist offering by highlighting a living heritage composed of numerous workshops and artisan enterprises.

The agreement signed by Nathalie Laporte, president of the CMA Nouvelle-Aquitaine – Gironde, and Fabien Robert, president of the OTCBM, thus aims to strengthen the synergies between tourism and crafts around three objectives: better valorize artisan crafters, support their activity through promotional actions, and foster connections between tourism, culture and craft.

A Digital Map and New Tours

Among the first achievements is a digital map accessible on the Bordeaux Tourism site, listing about twenty artisanal craftspeople based in the metropolis. Visitors can locate the workshops and public spaces open to the public on it.

The tourism office is also expanding its guided tour program. Starting in September, a new tour titled “Behind the Scenes at the Philomathique” will allow visitors to discover the woodworking, fashion and furniture workshops of this arts-and-crafts school, with encounters between visitors, students and professionals.

Craftsmanship will also be more integrated into the circuits offered by tour guides. In Eysines, for example, visitors will now be able to meet the artisans of Artflo, based in the town since 2025.

The partnership also translates into a stronger presence of crafts in the reception areas of the tourism office. Its shop broadens its range with creations made by local artisans, including exclusive pieces designed by Bordeaux ceramists.

Published by Amelia Brille TourMaG.com Editor
See all articles by Amelia Brille

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ALL Accor Aims to Attract Premium Customers With American Express

August 28, 2026 by Amara Nambinga

American Express et ALL Accor s'associent, Depositphotos.com Photo by HJBC

Costa Rica

American Express and the hotel group Accor announce a global partnership.

Through this synergy, eligible American Express cardholders gain direct access to ALL Accor program statuses and benefit from new conversion options for their loyalty points.

This new global arrangement is gradually rolled out across a dozen key markets, including France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Japan.

The main objective is to optimize the customer journey within the Accor group’s network of more than 45 brands, among which are prestigious names such as Raffles, Fairmont, and Sofitel.

The two parties aim to offer greater value and flexibility to travelers within their high-end clientele.

Some American Express Holders Will Benefit from ALL Accor Gold Status

L’un des axes centraux de cet accord repose sur l’attribution automatique de statuts au sein du programme ALL Accor pour les porteurs de cartes éligibles.

À ce titre, les titulaires des cartes Platinum, qu’il s’agisse des offres pour particuliers, TPE-PME ou entreprises, se voient accorder le statut ALL Accor Gold.

Ce niveau de privilège inclut notamment le Wi-Fi Premium, le départ tardif, des attentions personnalisées lors du séjour, des opportunités de surclassement de chambre sous réserve de disponibilité, ainsi qu’un cumul bonifié de points Rewards.

Parallèlement, la passerelle entre les programmes de fidélité permet d’effectuer un transfert des points Membership Rewards d’American Express vers ALL Accor.

En France, la conversion s’établit sur un barème de 3 points Membership Rewards pour 1 point Reward ALL Accor.

Les points ainsi transférés peuvent être utilisés pour la réservation de nuitées, des services de restauration, l’accès à des événements culturels ou sportifs, ainsi qu’auprès de l’écosystème de partenaires du groupe.

France-Vietnam Cooperation: Hanoi Seeks to Attract French Tourism Professionals

August 11, 2026 by Amara Nambinga

Hanoï donne rendez-vous aux professionnels français le 4 août à Paris - DepositPhotos.com, monticello

CroisiEurope

More than 276,000 French visitors explored the streets of Hanoi in 2025, marking a spectacular 32% increase in a single year.

Building on this momentum, the City of Hanoi plans to take advantage of its visit to Paris to present to French stakeholders the full range of cooperation opportunities offered by the capital.

Coordinated with the support of VNCT (Vietnam Culture & Tourism in Europe Association), this meeting will be held on Tuesday, August 4, 2026, from 5:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Artemis Hall in the Batignolles Space, located at 18 Rue de la Condamine in Paris’s 17th arrondissement.

The event is primarily aimed at tour operators, travel agencies, tourism professionals, airlines, companies, investors, institutional bodies, and specialized journalists.

It should provide a platform to address investment, trade and sustainable development opportunities alongside leading speakers, notably Mr. Nguyễn Ánh Dương, Vice-Director of the Hanoi Department of Industry and Trade, Mr. Nguyễn Trần Quang, Vice-Director of Hanoi’s Department of Tourism, and Ms. Lê Y Linh, President of VNCT in France.

The delegation aims to place this event within the continuity of a decentralized cooperation that is already rich and long-standing, conducted notably with Paris, the Île-de-France Region, Toulouse, and other French institutional partners.

Targeted opportunities and direct exchanges with the delegation

On this occasion, Hanoi seeks to better showcase the diversity and richness of its offerings: its historical heritage, its renowned Old Quarter, its remarkable architecture, its cuisine, its traditional craft villages, as well as its cultural tourism and new urban experiences.

Positioning itself as a capital that is both heritage-rich, modern, innovative, and sustainable, the city aims to attract more French partners in strategic areas for its future.

Because beyond the development of trade and investments, the challenge is to intensify tourist flows in both directions.

The partnership opportunities particularly cover urban infrastructures, transportation, logistics, ecological transition, new technologies, creative industries, as well as high-quality agri-food sectors.

An ambition that also fits within the framework of the city’s new investment promotion campaign unveiled in July, which foresees new incentive mechanisms and announces hundreds of investment projects.

This initiative relies on an unprecedented master plan with a 100-year projected development vision, aimed at speeding up the digital transition and materializing about fifty strategic agreements, notably on green and sustainable transport.

A program paced between official briefings and networking

Designed to foster operational contacts and partnerships between actors from the two countries, the event will unfold around two main moments:

5:00 PM – 5:15 PM: Welcome of participants at Espace Batignolles.

5:15 PM – 6:15 PM: Official opening sequence, presentation of the Hanoi delegation, remarks by institutional representatives and a detailed briefing on the investment environment, economic activities and the capital’s tourist potential.

6:15 PM – 7:30 PM: Networking and B2B exchange session to discuss concrete cooperation prospects, accompanied by a presentation of Vietnamese gastronomy and a professional cocktail.

Tourism professionals can register via this link

Best of France Webinar: How to Attract Canadians to France – November 16, 2021

July 15, 2026 by Amara Nambinga

Thematic :

Business Development – How to attract Canadians to France?

Date : November 16, 2021

Time : 2:00 PM

Webinar Description

In 2018, more than 33 million international trips were undertaken by Canadians. Only 1.2 million Canadians visited France. Despite a strong appeal of the French lifest yle, France remains only the second most visited European destination for Canadians. Join us to understand the Canadian market and their consumption habits.

Why does Paris alone appear in the last position of the ranking of Canadians’ top 10 international destinations? Indeed, Canadians have an innate sense of adventure and have always shown interest in discovering new cultures. Canadians are increasingly seeking authentic travel experiences to destinations rich in history and culture, without neglecting their annual sunny destination. Doesn’t France have a card to play?

Our other tools for tourism professionals

Best of France has built a community of Canadians who love France. We maintain lasting relations with tourism professionals in Canada, through our on-the-ground actions and targeted, engaged visibility campaigns. Best of France is your facilitator for easy and immediate access to the Canadian market.

Canada is an important and growing market. France is the top destination for Canadians traveling in Europe (969 million in tourist receipts in 2019). In addition, there are now no fewer than 175 direct weekly flights, in summer, between the two countries.

● Prospecting & Qualification

● Meetings & Reports

● Educational Tours

● Webinars

● Visibility

Who we are

France is a source of inspiration worldwide, known for its culture, craftsmanship, and innovation. Best of France speaks to Canadians who want to experience true France, by revealing a deeper understanding and a clearer view of the French experience in Canada. France has so much to offer—let us help you discover it!

We develop solid relationships and partnerships between key players across diverse sectors in France and Canada. Our goal is to foster growth for businesses in both countries by highlighting and promoting expertise and innovative capacity through Best of France activities.

Contact us

Webinar Best of France - How to attract Canadians to France? - November 16, 2021

Manuela Tillé

Sales Manager

[email protected]

06 58 70 42 94

Website: www.bestoffrance.fr/tourisme

Local Tourism: How to Attract Customers Within 100 Kilometers

June 29, 2026 by Amara Nambinga

Tourisme local : comment attirer les clients à moins de 100 km ? - Depositphotos.com Studiostock

CroisiEurope

Before selling travel, one must first establish its brand in the local landscape. For Fatima Faivre, regional director of Ready to Go, the priority remains physical visibility.

« The first reflexes will be communication: 4×3 signs, communication supports in the surroundings to highlight this new agency, » she explains.

The regional director explains adapting the communication radius to the territory: « In some areas, we communicate within a 10 to 20 km radius. In cities that draw several valleys, that can go up to 30 km. »

The same logic applies to Pierre Doucet, who bets on regular, multichannel communication to anchor his agencies locally.

« We run radio campaigns, bus-stop advertising, and we participate in all the trade fairs in the towns where we have shops, » he details.

For the head of the Terre D’Ailleurs network, the stakes are simple: staying visible so as not to be forgotten.

« Today, creating a travel agency is a very risky move. Customers will only come to you if they need you. You have to offer something relevant », recalls the founder who opened his Blois agency in January 2020 before having to close it during the Covid period.

The social networks: building closeness before the visit

Social networks have become essential for creating a relationship with locals before they even push open the agency door.

At Ready to Go, teams notably work on teaser videos before an opening.

« The team starts communicating about a great new thing coming to the city, in order to grab the shoppers’ attention and make them want to come see us, » explains Fatima Faivre.

Contests are also part of the tools used to create engagement.

« For a trip purchased, customers can take part in a game that will allow them to win their trip », cites the regional director of the Ready to Go network.

For Léa Joulia, founder of the online Naïa Journey agency, social networks and digital tools remain essential to tell a brand identity.

« Social networks, the website, or the newsletter are indispensable to present offers and tell the travel universe », says Léa Joulia, who is very active on Instagram.

But one must still choose the right channels. Pierre Doucet reminds that the strategy depends above all on the target clientele: « Our 60-year-old clients are on Facebook . We need to be where our customers are. »

The head of the network also uses YouTube to work on local notoriety.

Events to foster local connections

Event marketing remains a powerful lever to attract locals into a physical agency and create a tangible travel experience.

Jessica Sorin, for example, organized her agency’s inauguration on May 14 around a Polynesian immersion in her concept store Maison Manaventura.

Read also: Maison Manaventura: from Tahiti to Vendée, Jessica Sorin paves her way

Pierre Doucet, for his part, continues to rely on local trade fairs and exhibitions.

« Trade fairs are my hallmark for 30 years. It takes presence, but they create ties and a network », he explains.

To refresh the experience, the professional multiplies activities: virtual reality headsets, scratch games, or immediate discounts.

« Today, people want to win something. Even a small discount can build a relationship and trigger a booking. »

At Ready to Go, games and rewards also help to drive foot traffic to the agency.

« For example, you can reward clients who booked the most significant file. It can be valuable goodies, like a bottle of rum, a quality suitcase… or even plane tickets for a future trip. People who win talk about it to others, and that’s wonderful as well, » confirms Fatima Faivre.

Some formats, however, are losing steam. Pierre Doucet believes that traditional client evenings no longer suffice. « If it’s just offering a drink and giving a presentation, that’s no longer enough. People come if they have a real reason to come », notes the Terre d’Ailleurs founder.

Word of mouth, still king

Despite the rise of the digital world, all the professionals interviewed agree on one point: nothing replaces local recommendations.

« The network, the network, the network: network culture is essential, » sums up Pierre Doucet.

Based in Châteauroux for 30 years, he relies on daily presence in local life. « People have been seeing me around the local landscape for 30 years. This presence builds trust », he confirms.

The same sentiment for Léa Joulia, especially on experiential travel: « Word of mouth remains incredibly strong for this type of trip where the human experience matters a lot. »

The founder adds: « A satisfied traveler is your best advertisement. »

In the end, attracting clients within a 100 km radius relies less on a miracle recipe than on steady visibility, proximity, and human connection.

As Pierre Doucet summarizes: « We must stay true to ourselves, keep our values, and make sure people feel the need to come to us. »

Find all articles in our series “Very Special Agent – The Practical Guide for the Pro” by clicking this link.