French Ambassador’s Travel Awards 2019
Atout France organises the 5th edition of the Ambassador’s Travel Awards in Mumbai.
Mumbai, 21 November 2019
Atout France – France Tourism Development Agency organized one of its flagship events, the Ambassador’s Travel Awards in Mumbai on 21st November in the resplendent setting of The Chambers, Taj Mahal Palace and Towers, Mumbai. Retour ligne automatique
These awards were instated in 2015 under the high patronage of the Ambassador of France to India and powered by VFS Global for all its subsequent editions. This year for the first time, the awards received an added impetus with the collaboration of the Reunion Island Tourism Board.
The objective behind the awards is to recognise and reward a selection of travel agents across India for their exemplary efforts in promoting France from the perspectives of destination showcase, and visa issuance, as well as the prolific penmanship of a journalist who, through articles, has essayed a versatile presentation of destination France.
For the first time this year, a new category of awards was introduced to reward the best showcase of France’s overseas departments.
The event was also a perfect platform for presenting the vibrant music of Reunion Island as invited guests were treated to an entertaining performance from the JF Gang, a group of talented musicians, who had flown in all the way from Reunion Island for the occasion.
The winners for this year included:
VISA Category:
Diamond Award- Thomas Cook India Ltd, winner for the tour operator registering the highest number of visa issuances
Destination Showcase
Gold Award - SOTC Travel Ltd, best Showcase of France as a MICE destination
Diamond Award - Panache World, best Showcase of France as an Alpine destination
Platinum Award - Erawan Travels, best Showcase of France’s Overseas Departments
Platinum Award - Original Senses, most Innovative Showcase of France as a Travel Destination
Best Journalist Award
Ms Karen Anand: Independent Travel Writer
Sharing her thoughts, Ms Sheetal Munshaw - Director Atout France, said, "The Ambassador’s Travel Award event has gone from strength to strength in the last few years and assumed a pan-India dimension, which gives our efforts at showcasing France an added boost. Our source markets have now diversified to include many more cities across the country, which indicates a lot of potential for France. A special mention must be made of all our partners who have generously sponsored our awards by graciously offering sojourns in France and India to our winners. This year, in addition to the continued support we’ve been receiving from VFS Global since the inception of the awards in 2015, we are also extremely pleased to have on board Reunion Island Tourism Board as our partner. Our alliance since October 2018 for showcasing the island and its multi-faceted touristic offering has been a mutually successful one and we are confident that next year will reap in great results for La Réunion.”
Address of H.E. Emmanuel Lenain, Ambassador of France to India
Bonsoir,
It gives me great pleasure to welcome you to the 5th edition of the Ambassador’s Travel Awards this evening. This platform is an opportune one to announce that in 2018, France received a staggering 89.3 million visitors to its shores including more 600 000 Indian visitors.
The Ambassador’s Travel Awards were instated in 2015 with the objective of recognising and rewarding a selection of travel agents for their effortless contribution in promoting tourism to France through itineraries showcased and efforts made in the visa domain. Each year, the itineraries showcased the very best of France’s vibrant destinations, experiences and its omnipresent art de vivre. This year, making a selection was complex thanks to the great quality of candidatures received. Each itinerary essayed an indepth showcase of France and unique experiences that instantly create an aspiration to travel. A special mention must also be made of the media that has offered us its unwavering support in the promotion of France through their descriptive articles in travel and lifestyle magazines that have transformed readers to travellers. And tonight, our media category awards aims to identify the prolific penmanship of one such writer. Tourism remains a priority and we remain committed as the Embassy of France to facilitate travel to our country and support Atout France and the Indian travel fraternity.
I thank you all for being here tonight and wish you a very pleasant evening with us.