Atout France, the French national tourist office in the UK, is to showcase some of the country’s finest travel and lifestyle experiences at a unique luxury event in London.
Prestige France will see a selection of premium travel planners attend an afternoon workshop on 14 October to meet with more than 15 French partners, ranging from regional tourism offices such as Corsica and Courchevel, to member hotels of the elite Palaces de France, a key partner for the event.
Palaces de France was established by the French government to recognise some of the country’s most prestigious properties, which are seen as transcending a traditional five-star rating.
The Prestige France event will be held at the French ambassador to the UK’s residence in Kensington, and moving into the evening will also include a VIP networking event held in partnership with Air France.
Prestige France is also being held in partnership with TTG Luxury, whose editor and publisher April Hutchinson will host a panel looking at luxury travel trends.
The panel will be joined by Charlotte Keesing, director of corporate and international affairs, for Walpole, the official sector body for British luxury, representing more than 250 of Britain’s finest brands in a sector worth £81 billion to the UK economy.
Also joining the discussion will be Francois Delahaye, who became chief operating officer for Dorchester Collection in 2006, in addition to his role as general manager of the famed Hotel Plaza Athenee in Paris.
Quintessentially Travel’s managing director Samantha Mullen will also be on the panel, drawing on her 17 years of experience in luxury travel, sharing trends gleaned from member travel habits, and insights from across the teams in the UK, Hong Kong, Dubai and Sydney she manages.
Prestige France is also held in partnership with Air France, whose general manager UK and Ireland, Jerome Salemi will join the panel as well.
Salemi will highlight the growth in premium flying with the airline, which includes a first-class product, La Premiere. He has more than 20 years aviation experience, and will highlight how the UK and Ireland market is the highest ranking in terms of revenue for the Air France-KLM group in Europe outside France and the Netherlands.
French travel and tourism partners joining the luxury travel workshop will include a range of destination representatives and hospitality partners, as well as DMCs and high-end attractions.
Travel planners will be able to meet with Air France; Chateau de Maubreuil, Nantes; Courchevel Tourism Board; Le K2 Palace, Courchevel; Corsica Tourism Board; Le Cercle des Grandes Maison (Corsica luxury hotels cluster); Hotel U Capu Biancu, Corsica; Les Bergeries de luxe du Domaine de Saparale Hotel, Corsica; DMC Corsica Luxury Experience; Dordogne-Perigord luxury cluster; Nouvelle-Aquitaine Tourist Board and Boutique Hotels Collection Nouvelle-Aquitaine; Renaissance Bordeaux Hotel; Destination Luberon (Provence).
Also at Prestige France will be attractions of Paris such as renowned high-end shopping experiences Galeries Lafayette and Printemps and Sodexo Live, which includes Roland Garros & Paris Rolex Masters Hospitality Packages; Yachts de Paris – Don Juan II; and Eiffel Tower Restaurants.
