I’m at La Guillotine restaurant in downtown Sydney sitting between Atout France’s Japan, ASEAN and Australia Director Frederic Mazenq and its ANZ Deputy Director and Head of Marketing Sophie Almin – and we’re talking about desserts.
Specifically, we’re discussing the difference between a tarte aux pomme (apple tart) and a tarte tatin. I’m told the former is like a pie cooked entirely in the oven, while the tatin is more like an open tart, in which the apples are first caramelised.
Mazenq, who hails from the southwest of France, says he still considers the tatin a more “exotic” dish – one whose roots stem far from his home region, barren of apple orchards. For Almin, from Normandy, an area of France famous for its apples, the tatin is commonplace.
From desserts, the conversation moves on to another French staple: cheese.
Mazenq explains how cows wouldn’t thrive in his home region, so here, sheep cheese rules. A legend goes, Roquefort, one of the first blue cheeses, was “invented” when a young boy abandoned his lunch of bread and ewe’s cheese for a beautiful girl, and when he returned months later the cheese had grown mold (what inspired him to then eat it… ask the first person to have eaten an oyster).
In Normandy, where cows graze in abundance, Almin explains they have four main cheeses, the most well-known of which is camembert.
When French people meet up, Mazenq says, they don’t talk about work, but their most recent meals.
So here I am with two Atout France directors talking about desserts and cheeses – and not a lot about tourism. But don’t people travel for taste? Besides, what could be more French than talking about food?
Olympic impact
Along with Gallic fare, we touch on classic French cinema, contemporary French music (like Daft Punk and even Air) – and a cornerstone of the country: sport, especially football, the Tour De France (which will this year end in Nice) and of course, the upcoming 2024 Olympic Games, to be held in Paris.
While the Olympics will no doubt disrupt normal tourism in Paris, Mazenq says he expects the Games to boost visitation to other French cities like Lille and Lens in the north, and Dijon to the south as many tourists forgo the French capital.
Others, he says, will likely use Parisian satellite cities to commute to the Games, thereby boosting tourism in those areas.
The Tokyo-based director is also quick to point out that Paris 2024 isn’t all taking place in Paris, with equestrian occurring in Versailles, sailing in Marseille and shooting competitions in the Loire region, among other events.
Again, Mazenq expects spectators of those sports to find something to their liking in cities they may not have otherwise visited.
Ultimately, he predicts any drop in traditional tourism that occurs as a consequence of the Olympics to balance out in 2025, when those who put off a Parisian holiday this summer return to the city (and country).
And those who do make it to the Games, the Director says, are in for a treat. Among other firsts, the opening ceremony will take place not in a stadium but along several kilometres of the Seine River.
Australian travel
Almin tells Karryon Australian visitation to France peaked in around 2015/16, when about 1 million Aussies visited the country. In 2019, however, numbers dropped slightly to around 832,000. But the Atout France Deputy Director isn’t fazed by the fall, as the country has long experienced peaks and dips in tourist numbers from Down Under.
Encouragingly, Aussies also get out of Paris, with well over 300,000 of those who visited in 2019 also visiting other cities in France.
Almin added that the response from recent trade events like Entire Travel Group’s inaugural Travel Showcase & Soirée and Luxperience was also encouraging for the Australian market, where she says there is currently a lot of interest in France. And no doubt its food.
Other Atout France news:
- Clara Demare has joined Atout France as Digital Marketing and Media Specialist to strengthen media relations and amplify the organisation’s message.
- Atout France will present top French suppliers in Australia in 2024, with exhibitions in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane on 10, 11 and 13 September.
- Atout France will host 18 tour operators at Rendez-vous en France in Toulouse, connecting 700 companies with 750 international and French buyers.
- France Connaisseur, Atout France’s e-learning tool, will enhance travel advisors’ knowledge of France through interactive courses.
- Netflix and Atout France have partnered to promote France with an advertising campaign and new tourist guides inspired by Netflix heroes.
- Atout France has launched the Explore France magazine 2023-24, showcasing France’s gastronomic, cultural and slow tourism highlights.
