Followers of this blog know that Cornichon loves France, loves the French, blah blah blah. Et pourtant, and yet.
No country is more dependent on international tourism, no country welcomes more visitors (over 75 million in 2010). And yet, et pourtant.
Every time there's a study, the conclusions are the same: France offers the most cultural sites of any European country, some of the best food, most spectacular scenery, and liveliest city llfe, but its sense of welcome is, on the whole, insufficient.
The perceived lack of welcome leads to shorter stays and less revenue from tourism, so the new Minister of Tourism, Frédéric LeFebvre, has a strong financial incentive to improve things, and he's going to start with the international gateway airports (Charles de Gaulle and Orly), the national railroad SNCF, and the Paris métro to improve, if nothing else, the quality of...signage.
WTF? Yes, signs are important, but so is service. Doesn't help if there are long lines at understaffed immigration, customs and security checkpoints. Doesn't help if there are shiny new information booths if waiters in the cafés are impatient. Doesn't help if cabbies are rude or the sidewalks covered with dog shit.
"Bonjour" used to be the catch phrase for a nationwide campaign that reminded every retailer in the country that tourists are visitors to be cossetted rather than transients to be ignored. Lefebvre's response is to commission yet another study to elicit the reaction of international visitors to the quality of French welcome.
As for me, I've seen a sea-change over the past 25 years, most of it coming in just the last few, in the number and quality of tourism resources for wine and culinary travel. Rare indeed is the Gallic "pfft!" and shrug of indifference. Courtesy is everywhere.
At Rendez-Vous France, the trade show in Bordeaux this week for the travel industry, the stars were the newcomers, small businesses (hotels, B&Bs, restaurants, even wineries) with a commitment to hard work and good service. The 650 French exhibitors welcomed 900 tour operators from 57 countries (almost two thirds from Europe, one in six from the Americas), with some 20,000 20-minute appointments scheduled over the course of the two-day event. The most sought-after were the Brazilians and the Russians, whose clients spend the most money when they travel.
This was the first Rendez-Vous since UNESCO officially listed "The French Meal" on its roster of intangible World Heritage. With an hour each day for lunch, the catering company Lacoste managed to serve a three-course, sit-down lunch to all 2,000 attendees, with white and red wines, sparkling and still water, plus coffee. And not iceberg lettuce, either: salmon gravlax with a mayonnaise dressing; free-range guinea fowl with carrots, and a molded fruit compote.
But no fromage. That's for dinner.
Photos: Romanée Conti vineyards in Burgundy, seafood mousse at La Winery in Bordeaux. My trip to France was sponsored by Atout France (the French tourism development agency) and Air France.
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