Provence- Alps-Cote d’Azur Road Show Kicks Off In Vancouver

Atout France and Provence-Alps-Cote d’Azur Tourism hosted a trade show and reception that showcased the regions of Provence at the Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts in Vancouver last night.

The event was the first stop on the Provence west coast road show, which moves on this week to Seattle, San Francisco and Los Angeles.

As travel agents sampled wines from Côtes du Rhône and Châteauneuf-du-Pape and mingled with representatives from the tourism boards of Provence-Alps-Cote d’Azur, Vaulcluse, Avignon, Aix-en-Provence and Countryside, Cavaillon-Luberon, Marseille and Saint-Tropez, Avignon’s Michelin-star Chef Christian Etienne was busy behind the scenes preparing an array of cuisines from the region.

Also on hand to showcase the top properties of Provence were supplier partners from La Coquillade, Domaine de Manville, Hotels Prestige Provence Group, Hotel Best Western Soleil, Ocre & Azur Group, New Hotel Group, Ariane Group, as well as KLM Royal Dutch Airlines.

Melanie Paul-Hus, deputy director, Atout France said Provence is the second most visited region in the country after Paris, and that Western Canadians represent 15 per cent of international travellers to Provence.

Paul- Hus said figures from Statistics Canada and Atout France show that B.C. travellers represent 9.8 per cent of all Canadians visiting France and Albertans represent six per cent, and to build on these numbers, outreach to the Western Canadian travel trade is the main mission of the road show.

“And this can grow, we know it,” Paul-Hus said.

Jacqueline Florkin, sales and marketing manager, Provence-Alps-Cote d’Azur Tourism board said it was the first time tourism professionals from Provence have organized a road show directed specifically at the Western market.

“The product we have is what [Westerners} are looking for,” Florkin told PAXnewsWest.

Florkin said highlights of the Provence region include the city of Marseille, which is three hours from Paris by high speed train.

Marseille, last year’s ‘Cultural Capital” ranked second in the New York Times ’46 places to go in 2013’, and Florkin said the city has seen a number of recent changes, with 10 new cultural sites opening during Cultural Capital year.  The city also has a growing cruise port.

Jean-Christophe Fleury, Consul General France in Vancouver told guests that for clients requiring a visa to enter France, the consulate can arrange visa processing within one day.

For more information, go to tourismepaca.fr.

Photo: Annabelle Simon, promotion coordinator, Atout France, Armelle Tardy- Joubert, manager, Canada, Atout France, Chef Christian Etienne, Avignon, Paul Connolly, account executive, KLM,  Jean-Christophe Fleury, Consul General France in Vancouver, Jacqueline Florkin, sales and marketing manager, Provence-Alps-Cote d’Azur Tourism and  Mélanie Paul-Hus, deputy director, Canada, Atout France.