Informe semanal noticias Francia elaborado por la oficina de Turismo de Tenerife en París
- Airline news:
Iberia adopts virtual reality on board its aircraft
The Spanish company has partnered with Inflight VR to offer its passengers a new entertainment experience with virtual reality headsets. Pico headsets will be available for rental on both daily flights Madrid-New York and Madrid-Tel Aviv. Travellers will be able to discover three-dimensional content for games, films, destination visits and documentaries. Tom Travel
Orly Sud becomes Orly 4
From March 2019, thanks to the construction of the junction building linking Orly Sud and Orly Ouest, the Paris airport will become a single terminal. During the night of 18 to 19 March 2019, the new signs will be unveiled throughout the Orly platform: the names of the two terminals will change, and will be transformed into Orly 1/2/3 and 4. Air Journal
Air France pilots say overwhelmingly yes to the wage agreement
A consultation was launched by the Air France SNPL with all Air France pilots on 1 February. It concerned the draft agreement on pilot categorical measures. The vote ended today, 19 February.
Air France pilots approved the agreement with 85.42% of the votes in favour. The participation rate reached 70.51%. For the SNPL, this participation rate clearly illustrates the willingness of Air France pilots to be involved in the company’s future. With this vote, «the pilots support the strategic upscale project initiated by Benjamin Smith and accept salary increases, thus putting an end to nearly 12 months of conflict ». Quotidien du Tourisme
Ryanair opens a new base and 11 new lines in Toulouse
Ryanair has announced the opening of a base in Toulouse. From October 2019, as part of its winter 2019 programme, the low-cost airline will base two aircraft in the pink city and open 20 lines, including 11 new lines connecting to 7 countries (Alicante, Brest, Budapest, Lille, Luxembourg, Marseille, Oujda, Palermo, Porto, Tangier and Valencia). Ryanair estimates that this will bring 1 million customers per year to Toulouse airport. Echo Touristique
- Tour operator news:
Aya Désirs du Monde strengthens its position in Egypt and Jordan
Historically a specialist in the Middle East, Aya Désirs du Monde is expanding its production in Egypt and Jordan. The tour operator is increasing the number of guaranteed departures and is considering making air commitments to Egypt. As proof of its interest in the Middle East, Aya Désirs du Monde will devote a brochure to it for 2019/2020, in addition to its Désirs du Monde brochure. It will be broadcast at the beginning of the 2019 school year. TourMag
Suntrade Travel placed in receivership
Suntrade Travel, the tour operator launched in 2010 by Jean-Philippe Daulaud and Pierre Schreiber, was placed in receivership on 5 February 2019 by the Versailles Commercial Court. The company guaranteed by the APST has been in suspension of payment since 15 December 2018. An observation period has been set by the Versailles Commercial Court until 5 August 2019. TourMag
Marco Vasco reflects on the opening of a travel agency
Marco Vasco joined the Figaro group’s travel division in November 2017, alongside the Maisons du Voyage, and posted his best year in 2018. Its turnover flirted with €70 million, representing an 8% increase in turnover compared to 2017 and a gross operating profit of 3%. Positioned in the high-end tailor-made travel segment, the Figaro travel division now generates 120 million euros in revenue and employs a total of 400 people. TourMag
Clio relaunches trips to Syria, despite warnings from the Quai d’Orsay
The cultural travel tour operator has scheduled a handful of departures to Syria for this year. A return to production that may surprise, and that the tour operator justifies in a special page on its website. Clio is the only major European tour operator to reinvest in Syria, where «any travel, including to Damascus and Aleppo, is formally discouraged» by the Quai d’Orsay. In addition, the Ministry «recommends that the French still present on the spot leave the country». For the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs, «Clio Travel Agency exposes its clients to a risk of which it is fully aware». Echo Touristique
- Market trends/Destination news:
A conversational poster from JCDecaux for OUI.sncf
On the occasion of its first anniversary, OUI.sncf is deploying a «Poster» developed with JCDecaux. This poster campaign appeals to travelers who can interact with the conversational assistant of OUI.sncf, OUIbot. From February 14 to 19, passengers in Paris Gare de Lyon and Paris Saint Lazare stations can exchange directly with OUIbot, the conversational assistant of OUI.sncf, who appears on JCDecaux posters. The OUI.sncf robot can converse with travelers, it is able to discuss different topics and instantly display on the screen the information on the destinations requested by travelers. The complete searches then give way to a QR code to finalize your mobile purchase. Offre Media
Malta: French tourists up 20% in France
In 2018, Malta welcomed 213,299 French tourists, an increase of 20.9% compared to 2017 (+36,928 visitors) and an increase of 18.9% in the number of overnight stays compared to 2017 (+265,262 overnight stays) or 1,665,788 overnight stays. France is the fourth largest tourist market behind the United Kingdom, Italy and Germany and represents the strongest growth in terms of tourist arrivals in 2018 of these four markets. Quotidien du Tourisme
A social plan in preparation within Atout France
On a proposal from Jean-Yves Le Drian, Minister responsible for Atout France, the Prime Minister has reportedly decided to reduce the payroll of the Atout France network by one third by 2020. This information was confirmed by two employees of the organization. «30% of Atout France’s payroll, but also a significant part of Business France (structure created by the merger of Ubifrance and the French Agency for International Investments, NDLR), should be eliminated,» says one of them. When asked by us, Christian Mantei, General Manager of Atout France, refuses to comment. Echo Touristique
Riu: a success story
The Spanish chain RIU ended 2018 with a turnover of €2,114 million, the opening of three new hotels and the renovation of seven hotels for an investment of €870 million. It plans to do even better in 2019. Finally, by 2020 and 2021, the group has already announced the opening of the first RIU hotel in London and the inauguration of the second in New York. La Quotidienne
