The newest France Guide – hot off the presses!
Jerome Cauchard, Consul General of France in Toronto, Caroline Putnoki and Air Canada's Tony Celio
Bon appetit!
“February is the time to remind Canadians about travel to France!†was the message from the always-stylish Caroline Putnoki of Atout France (formerly Maison de la France). And if a magazine full of beautiful images isn’t enough to make you dream of France, Caroline treated a small group of industry influencers to a divine lunch at Didier, one of Toronto’s finest French restaurants.
The cause for the celebration was the release of this year’s France Guide, a magazine touting all that’s special in France in 2010. The magazine is produced in Canada and distributed with newspapers on certain routes, as well as at targeted restaurants (including Didier, bien sûr). And this year there’s a lot of separate but equally interesting online content – including an interview with world-famous chef Alain Ducasse - at www.franceguidemagazine.com.
All being well, even more of us will visit France this year than last, when Canadian figures were up 3.25% - “A really good result,†says Putnoki, in a difficult year.
This year, Putnoki suggests that there are 10 solid reasons to visit the country (“Well, we had to limit ourselves!â€), including accessibility: there will be over 100 flights weekly between our countries. And - oh la la! – affordability! Don’t forget to tell your clients that our loonie is an average of 10 per cent stronger than it was over the past 12 months.
Two events to note this year: the first-ever Normandy Impressionism Festival from June through September, and at the other end of the country, in the chic and sexy Côte d’Azur, there will be music in the air as the 50th annual “Jazz à Juan†festival takes place in July.
I’m off to pack my valises – France looks just too tempting in 2010!
