AITO Welcomes New Tourist Board Affiliate Partner, Atout France

AITO, the specialist travel association, (www.aito.com) is pleased to announce that the French Tourism Development Agency, Atout France, has become an Affiliate of the Association.

Atout France is responsible for promoting the development of France’s tourism industry, the country’s largest economic sector. Its primary mission is to maintain a detailed and permanent system for monitoring and analysing supply and demand in the tourism market.

The board is also committed to promoting destinations and works with its partners, including destinations, cities, attractions and transport providers, to bolster tourism through marketing campaigns, online promotion and close relationships with the travel trade sector.

On joining AITO, Trade and Promotion Senior Executive, Camille Larose, says: “Atout France is delighted to become a new AITO Affiliate. This is a great opportunity for our trade and PR departments to keep in touch with the travel trade industry.

“With an array of exciting events filling France’s 2019 tourism calendar, the travel trade relationships which AITO provides are incredibly beneficial for us in terms of promoting France as a travel destination.”

Events in France in 2019 include 500 Years of Renaissance, a year-long programme marking the fifth centenary of Leonardo da Vinci’s death; the opening of the new museum, Cité de la Gastronomie, in the foodie capital of Lyon; the marking of the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings in Normandy with parades, firework displays, air shows and military re-enactments, plus the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup between 7 June and 7 July across nine cities – Paris, Lyon, Nice, Grenoble, Reims, Le Havre, Rennes, Montpellier and Valenciennes.

AITO Executive Director, Kate Kenward, says: “We very much welcome Atout France to our growing portfolio of national tourist offices. It’s good to see that France isn’t resting on its tourism laurels, but is continuing to broaden its appeal to a wide-ranging visitor demographic. By joining AITO, Atout France can tap into our market of specialist interest travellers who like to travel to lesser-known regions, away from the usual main attractions and bucket-list spots.”