Tourism in France - Essay Example

?Tourism in France Introduction France details enviable results in terms of the number of international tourists it attracts. It offers a magnificenthistoric heritage and the most diverse natural environment in Europe. It has 7 national parks and at least 40 nature parks for protection of large natural areas. The breath-taking landscape, the numerous castles, the mountains, the monuments, museums’, and other attractions have led to the growth of the tourism industry. France has incorporated conservation and biodiversity into tourism development policies and strategies and this has resulted in social and economic benefits to host communities (Books LLC 2010). The French government is at the forefront in maintaining cultural integrity while addressing sustainability concerns. Travellers are always searching for exotic locations that offer stunning natural resources, cross-border travel and eco-tourism. Rural areas in France offer many environmental amenities and has become more attractive especially for agri-tourism. Millions of tourists from all parts of the world visit France annually and it is the most popular tourist destination in the world (Books LLC 2010). At the same time, France keeps public funding for tourism at a relatively low level. Tourism is the largest industry in the world and generates crucial businesses for other service industries such as the hotel industry, entertainment facilities, restaurants, sport and recreational facilities and travel services. A new form of tourism where tourists want a customised itinerary is emerging. These package tours are shorter and more frequent but less expensive compared to the traditional tourism (Poon 1993). The average trip for package tour takes 4 nights instead of the traditional 9 nights. The introduction and improvement of digital communication and ICT, which has enabled clients make choices that are more informed, has made this possible. The French government exercises its sovereign authority and outlines the framework of operation in relation to national peace, the rule of law, food security, health security and reliable public services. This structure is crucial for development of tourism. France guarantees the legislative and regulatory structures for all activities, including tourism. Successive governments have continued to fund bodies that exist to support tourism at the local and the international level. Administration of tourism in France has been rationalised to meet all stakeholders’ needs. Through the central government, regions, departments and communes, the French authorities support tourism development. By increasing resources for territorial tourism improvement and promotion of France as the preferred tourist destination, the central government and territorial authorities have seen the number of tourists increasing annually (Todd, 2008). Territorial authorities play a crucial role in formulation of policy and development of tourism. The national tourism administration supports regional tourism through guidance, regulation and coordination of tourism policies and ensures they are consistent. The French Agency for Tourism Engineering (AFIT) ensures development objectives between territorial authorities, private actors and the central government complement each other and are in line with the national strategic objectives. The administrative classification for accommodation in the form of hotels, tourist resorts, holiday rentals, campsites and tourist offices has a number of implications, notably with regard to complementary funding and dates back to 1919 (Books LLC 2010). A rated commune has certain additional privileges in addition to the normal privileges received by other communes. The central government and the territorial governments share Institutional responsibilities in managing tourism. The territorial governments are responsible for planning and implementing the medium-term objectives for tourism development. Tourism is a service activity and requires a large workforce, which is a blessing during the current slow economic growth; tourism is one of the few sectors that have continued to create jobs in France. French authorities have always strived to improve and modernize the country’s transportation system and infrastructure. The state and territorial authorities in France play an important role in the construction and maintenance of transport infrastructure, which comprises of ports, inland waterways, the railway network, airports, roads and motorway network. Transport offered by the state is fast, efficient and cheap. France boasts of one of the classiest transport infrastructure in the world supported by technological advancement. The state-owned railway system run by the French National Railways uses some of the fastest trains in the world and covers approximately 31,939km. The rail network connects France to Britain. About 47% of the waterways in France are heavily used (Books LLC 2010). The major waterways, Rhine River, the Seine and Moselle, carry bulk freight. Air France, the nation’s national carrier is one of the largest airlines in the world and is state run. Tourists from the neighbouring countries such as UK, Spain, Ireland, and Channel Islands can use the ferry to get to France. Most of the ports and harbours are capable of handling the needs of both freight and passengers. The motorways enables tourists’ access the Alps Mountains and the Massif Central. The cost of transport is manageable because of the heavy investment by the Authorities (Fritsch, 1997). Besides infrastructure, the French Authorities have been involved in the creation of tourism superstructures as well as basic public services such as water, energy and communications leading to regional development and growth (Fritsch 1995). The implementation of the “snow plan” has seen a large number of visitors to the winter sports facilities. The magnificent sports stadiums in France are a tourist attraction in themselves. France is among the world’s main competing sports destinations. High-level sports are extraordinary stimulus for research in different quarters. Improved media coverage of sporting events has raised the profile of many sporting activities and helped increase the number of fans. Development of ICT and digital communication infrastructure and electronic marketing has opened up new opportunities and are significantly influencing traditional tourism. The reduced cost of accessing information and the ability to process reservations directly through the internet has greatly improved tourism. ICT has provided an online mall where many buyers and sellers congregate to do business (Gary 1994). The French government has played a significant role in the development of the ICT infrastructure as a regulator, an educator, an administrator to establish choices of the private sector (Konsynski1993). The use of ICT adds value to tourism services and products and completion of national coverage for mobile telephony has taken the centre-stage of all territorial public authorities. This ICT revolution enables consumers to interact directly with the tourism value chain such as destination, transport, accommodation, package tours and services (Buhalis 1998). Incorporating ICT in a tourism enterprise ensures improved efficiency, enhanced services and maximised profitability in the long term (Buhalis 1998.) The French government advocates for closer public-private partnerships in innovation, research and development and assists in technology transfer. Researchers in France have access to high quality Research centres at national level and international level. The French government advocates for integration with international research community to cope with competition and allocates a substantial amount of its revenue in supporting research programmes and infrastructures. This has led to major innovations, continuous research, development, and significant improvement in various fields (Todd 2008) all aimed at making tourism an adventure that keeps visitors coming back. France has two major research systems, the national research bodies such as EPIC, CNRS, INRA, CEA, EPST and secondly higher education institutions such as EPCSCP. The chamber of commerce coordinates Research in the private sector backed by the Ministry of Industry. Innovations are transferred to the manufacture of products for leisure activities and tourism, specifically: clothing, mainly outdoor clothes; specialised equipment such as skis, pleasure boats, and recreational vehicles. The resultant aeronautical products resulting from aeronautical research conducted in France has tourists as the primary customers. An additional crucial domain is that of agricultural and agro-food. Rose wines from Provence so popular today never existed three decades back. Tourists like places where they can eat local products. The development of agro-food technology enhances the competitiveness of one of the hallmark activities related with tourism i.e. catering, whose future, without any improvements, would otherwise be compromised (Karagiannis 2002). The main reason tourists have been diligent to the seaside and mountain areas is the “natural surroundings,” according to CREDOC, 1996. The French Conservatory for Coastal Areas and Lake Shores owns 68,000 hectares of natural area and controls 861 kilometres of lakeshore at 500 sites. The “Littoral” Act of 1986 aimed at restricting urban development on the French coastlines and provided better control of development of tourist facilities in fragile environments. The government has instituted ecological measures to safeguard birds, biotopes, fauna and flora. There is a special tax levied by the departments on sensitive natural areas. The income from this tax is used to purchase, rehabilitation, maintenance and management of sensitive natural areas open to the public. The decentralization of environment management to territorial authorities and promotion of national strategies for sustainable tourism is part of the policy to promote France as the best destination in the world. Involvement of local communities in conservation of natural resources and protection of natural environment is a strong incentive of the sustainability program. The French chambers of commerce and industry provides professional assistance for tourism stakeholders through a network of public agencies for business and commerce. These agencies have a wide range of activities including managing infrastructure including ports, airports, etc and tourism development. Enhancing competition in tourism plays a crucial role in ensuring growth and job stability in a highly seasonal industry. Territorial authorities manage semi-public agencies namely tourist offices which are operated by communes. Tourist offices receive their income from various sources including government funding, commercial activities and from the members. Based on territorial needs, the Government funds various tourist projects. This ensures greater independence, increased responsibility, accountability and ownership. The French agency for Tourism Engineering (AFIT) is a national public agency that advises the central and territorial government on economic initiatives and tourism development. The AFIT plays an important role in the creation of tourist landscapes and forms the epicentre of "Sustainable tourism" in France. These creations are made of constructed testimonials in natural surroundings. The natural environment remains a basic part of the original design. Examples of such designs include the Center Park in Sologne, Pierre and Vacancies at Pont-Royal. The AFIT strives to unite ecology and tourism by ensuring the protection of quality of landscape development in natural environments and ensures the delicate balance of natural landscapes and economic balance in tourism programmes (Fritsch 1995). Agri-tourism development has helped preserve rural lifestyles and the natural landscapes and has strengthened culture and tradition (Todd 2008) The AFIT facilitates the dissemination of information, improvement of quality of tourist products, and ensures upgrading of skills in tourism. AFIT encourages strong cooperation between public administration, stakeholders, destinations and other organisations that make tourism a success. The aim of AFIT is to enhance the visibility of tourist destinations, especially the lesser known by creating awareness of the diversity and quality of these destinations and reduce inequalities in various tourist regions (Fritsch 1995). AFIT is working at combating seasonality, balance the tourist flow and help decongestion during peak season. It raises awareness of different cultures by tracing the history and integration process of natural heritage. By promoting cultural tourism as a factor for sustainable economic development, AFIT is reinforcing the image and profile of France as a high quality tourist destination. Reference List Books, LLC., 2010, Tourism in France: Les Plus Beaux Villages de France, Tourism in Reunion, Tourism Trirhena, French Towns and Lands of Art and History. General Books LLC. Buhalis D., 1998, “Strategic Use of Information Technologies in the Tourism Industry”, Tourism Management, Vol. 19, No. 5. Fritsch B., 1995, La contribution des infrastructures aux developpement economique des regions, Universite de Paris XII. Fritsch B., 1997, La contribution du reseau routier national au developpement economique. Universite de Paris XII. Poon, A., 1993, Tourism, Technology and Competitive Strategies, Cab Intern., Wallingford. Gary I., 1994, Information Technology for Travel and Tourism, Pitman. Todd G., 2008, Tourism in OECD Countries 2008: Trends and Policies, OECD Publishing. Karagiannis N., 2002, Developmental policy and the state: the European Union, East Asia, and the Caribbean, Lexington Books. Read More