Atout France sees Indian travellers stay longer, spend more; hosts its biannual B2B Showcase in Delhi

‘Explore France’ showcase in its hosted-buyer format brought 16 French exhibitors together around 35 Indian buyers in New Delhi, as the destination continues to see Indian travellers move beyond Paris towards longer, more experiential and premium holidays.

France is seeing a clear shift in the way Indians travel to the destination, with longer stays, higher-value holidays and growing interest beyond Paris emerging as key trends in the market. The change was evident at Atout France’s biannual B2B offsite showcase in New Delhi, where French tourism stakeholders met Indian travel trade partners to build demand across regions, products and experiences beyond the traditional Paris-led itinerary.

The seventh edition of the Explore France showcase in Delhi was held at the Leela Palace from September 21 to 23, in a hosted-buyer format and brought together 16 French exhibitors and over 35 Indian buyers through pre-scheduled business meetings. More significantly, the showcase reflected Atout France’s wider push to position France as a destination in its own right for Indian travellers, rather than simply a two-night stop within a larger European itinerary.

Speaking with T3, Sheetal Munshaw, Director – India, Atout France, said that while Paris remains the main draw, Indian travellers are increasingly exploring other French regions, with travel spread throughout the year rather than concentrated around traditional holiday periods. Côte d’Azur and the French Alps have traditionally followed Paris as key destinations for Indian visitors. “One of the biggest trends is definitely value. We’re seeing higher-value tourism. People are opting for more premium stays, longer stays,” she said.

Atout France is also now seeing interest spread across the country, particularly around its “areas of excellence” such as food, wine and fashion. Munshaw pointed to destinations including Bordeaux, Burgundy, Alsace, Provence, Occitanie, and Normandy, while also highlighting Reunion Island as an example of the wider French destination proposition being presented to Indian trade. “There’s no area in France that we’re not pushing. The objective is to continually introduce new destinations and products to the Indian trade,” Munshaw added. 

Sports Tourism is another area of attention. With the Paris Olympics having generated significant global attention, Atout France is also looking to build on France’s broader sports proposition. While cricket continues to drive Indian sports travel, Munshaw said football is gaining traction among younger travellers, including through educational and sports-focused tours. 

In terms of visitations from India, Atout France has historically seen around 10% year-on-year growth and is estimating that the market is now approaching 700,000 Indian visitors, which is at par with the growth recorded in 2019, as per Munshaw.

625,000 Indian visitors in 2024

Beyond the scheduled business meetings, Atout France hosted a cocktail networking evening at the Embassy of France in India in the presence of Lisa Amon, Deputy Chief of Mission, Embassy of France in India. 

Speaking at the networking evening, Amon highlighted the growing strength of the India-France tourism relationship, noting that France welcomed more than 100 million international visitors in 2025, retaining its position as the world’s number one tourism destination. India, she said, remains an increasingly important source market, with 625,000 Indian visitors recorded in 2024, while the country ranked among the top three markets for Schengen visa applications in 2025.

“The growing popularity of France among Indian travellers is a reflection of the deepening relationship between our two countries,” she said.

While acknowledging tourism’s contribution to the French economy and GDP, Amon said its significance went beyond economic indicators. “Tourism connects people, brings them together, gives people access to another one’s heritage and another one’s way of life in a way that is more meaningful than any speech or explanation can do,” she said. 

Amon said the presence of a French tourism delegation representing different regions and cities, hotels, attractions, and other companies, along with Indian travel professionals and media was “a testament to the strength of tourism between our two countries and to the many opportunities that lie ahead.”

Building a year-round B2B pipeline

Explore France is one component of Atout France’s wider B2B engagement programme in India. The organisation is taking Indian travel professionals to Destination Vignoble, its wine tourism B2B summit in Cognac, in October, followed by the French Ambassadors Award recognition in November and Destination Montagne, its Alpine showcase, in January. 

Its largest international B2B event, Rendez-vous en France, will take place in Bordeaux next year in March, with around 35 Indian buyers expected to participate as part of the global programme involving more than 800 buyers.

Atout France also continues to use webinars, e-learning and local showcases to maintain engagement with the trade.

Munshaw stressed that the travel trade remains central to converting destination interest into actual travel. “We will continue to work closely with the trade, because we do know that even today they have a very critical role to play when it comes to bookings and travellers actually going to a place like France.” 

“Through initiatives like Explore France, we are certain that our stakeholders on both sides will continue to develop their synergies to showcase France in the best manner possible to the discerning Indian traveller,” she added.

Tête-à-tête with the French tourism stakeholders

The New Delhi edition also brought together a broad mix of French partners, including regions such as Occitanie, Provence, Côte d’Azur and the Paris Region, cities including Nice, Marseille and Lourdes, hotels like Plaza Elysees, Air France, Disneyland Paris, Sodexo, Rail Europe, Galeries Lafayette and more. As per official data shared by Atout France, more than 500 meetings took place over these two days. T3 engaged with a few exhibitors on the sidelines of the Media engagement hour. 

The Paris Region is signalling the strategic importance of India by maintaining an office in Mumbai, one of only two international offices of the regional tourism board. The Country Manager in India, Axel Guyon, shared that the region is undergoing a major connectivity overhaul, with Europe’s largest infrastructure project adding four new metro lines and extending an existing line, opening access to more destinations while easing traffic. A direct rail link between Charles de Gaulle Airport and central Paris is scheduled to open in March 2027, cutting the journey to around 20 minutes with no intermediate stops.

He added that with the region featured in global streaming series such as Emily in Paris & Lupin, greater visitor interest has been generated, and the tourism patterns are also shifting. “We are seeing more families, friends and couples travelling together, choosing single-destination holidays, staying longer and looking for more authentic experiences, with visitor spending and length of stay growing faster than visitor numbers,” he told T3.

From Destination Occitanie, Jeanne BRU, Manager- Tourist Attractiveness & B2B, shared how Indian people are increasingly visiting Occitanie, with a 6% increase in numbers. They tend to visit during the low season, and groups mainly come from Goa, Kerala, and around Chennai. Occitanie, which saw 3 million visitors in 2025, is being positioned as a destination for repeat travellers seeking authentic experiences beyond Paris and the French Riviera. The region attracts students, sports enthusiasts, cultural visitors, honeymooners, families, and gastronomy lovers and serves as a 1–2-night stopover for travellers between Barcelona and Bordeaux or the French Riviera, said BRU.

Corine Laussu from the Tourist Office of Lourdes gave a new tourism proposition beyond the conventional France itinerary. Lourdes, largely known as a pilgrimage destination, is in southwestern France, in the Occitanie region and has around 15,000 inhabitants. Because of its pilgrimage and cultural tourism significance, the destination attracts people, mainly pilgrims, from more than 100 nationalities and around 70% of visitors come from abroad, shared Laussu. While most of the travellers come from Europe, the US and East Asia, the Indian visitors also come mainly from Goa, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu. 

For Reunion Island, more than 500,000 visitors were registered in 2025, including around 1,500 Indians visiting last year. According to Stephane Bonneau, Head of International Markets Development, the island’s tourism pitch rests on its dramatic diversity. Unlike a purely beach-led holiday, Reunion offers hiking, outdoor activities, culture and a uniquely mixed population shaped by Indian, African, European, Chinese and other communities, reflected in its temples, churches and mosques. While seven days is considered a practical stay for Indian travellers, 10 days would allow a deeper experience, with European visitors often staying around three weeks and returning multiple times, said Bonneau.

Marseille, France’s oldest city, welcomed 5.5 million tourists in 2025 and is increasingly emerging as a trendy, year-round destination, particularly among younger travellers. Cyrille Saboya from Marseille Tourisme said the city has undergone significant transformation since being named European Capital of Culture in 2013, with its profile further strengthened by hosting the Olympic sailing competitions two years ago, which brought a new marina.

Notably, Marseille recorded a 22% increase in Indian visitors in 2025 over 2024, particularly during winter, with Indian travellers now accounting for 3.2% of total visitors, up from 2.2% in 2023; however, Saboya noted that the situation in the Middle East had impacted Indian arrivals.

Anne Dugenetay, handling sales across various Crowne Plaza and Hilton properties across France, said that Paris and the French Riviera have traditionally been key destinations for Indian travellers. They are now seeing an opportunity to attract more Indian clients to regional destinations and properties, particularly through MICE, weddings, incentives and leisure. The Hilton Charles de Gaulle property already has a significant Indian clientele, as per Dugenetay, and the French Riviera properties are beginning to see enquiries from Indian clients. She said the brands want to build on this market further.