Atout France Launches Campaign to Boost Indonesian Tourist Visits
Jakarta. France's tourism development agency Atout France launched a new social media campaign called "Winter in France" on Tuesday (05/09) to boost Indonesian tourist visits to France.
The main part of the campaign is a contest to win a special nine-day trip for a family of four, where they will travel around Chamonix, Lyon, Paris and the French Riviera. They will also have an opportunity to fly business class on Turkish Airlines.
The contest is open to all Facebook users. First, they have to follow and like Atout France's Facebook page, then submit a photo of anything related to France on a separate event page with #Francefr, #visitFrance, and #AtoutFranceAsean hashtags on the caption.
Entries are accepted until Oct. 9 and the winners will be announced on Oct. 13.
The winners will travel from Dec. 3 to 12, and their experience will be documented so that more people will be enticed to visit.
’Tis the Season
The agency decided on winter as the best season for the winners to travel to France saying it is the perfect occasion to bring families together.
"Christmas time is when French families gather so that's why we think it's the perfect moment to promote France to Indonesian families," Morad Tayebi, the regional director of Atout France Asean, said at the campaign's press conference.
Moreover, there are many celebratory events France has to offer, such as the La Fete des Lumieres or Festival of Lights held in Lyon.
Growing the Numbers
Another reason why Atout France is hoping to attract families is that out of the 150,000 Indonesian tourists who visit France, 70 percent of them travel with families.
"We've seen more Indonesian families visiting France, so Atout France's new campaign is geared towards them," French Ambassador to Indonesia Jean-Charles Berthonnet said.
Indonesia is among the largest number of tourists visiting France compared to other Association of Southeast Asian (Asean) member states.
The embassy has implemented a 48-hour processing time rule for visas to France since early last year, and there are more travel agents selling travel packages to France.
Atout France has also been hosting a series of seminars and familiarization trips for travel agents in order to tailor their packages better.
Now Indonesia is France's fifth largest tourism market in Asia, but the ambassador expects that number to increase.
"In a few years, Indonesia is predicted to be our fourth largest tourism market in Asia after China, Japan and India," Berthonnet added.
Tourism is big in France considering it is the number one most visited country in the world. According to Charles Berthonnet, last year it welcomed 83 million tourists, a decrease from 2015 but still retained its position as the top tourist destination.
The country has aimed to attract 89 million tourists this year and 100 million by 2020.
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