France Tourism Development Agency organised the 6th edition of the very prestigious Ambassador’s Travel Awards in Mumbai on 12th December after a hiatus of 5 years and under the patronage of His Excellency Mr. Thierry Mathou. 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, the awards received an added impetus with the collaboration of La Vallée Village – member of the Bicester Collection. The objective behind the awards is to recognise and reward a selection of travel companies across India for their exemplary efforts in showcasing France as a travel destination both from the destination showcase, visa perspective and the prolific penmanship of a journalist who, through articles, has essayed a versatile presentation of destination France.
Our jury members consisted of eminent luminaries that included His Excellency Mr Thierry Mathou, the Ambassador of France to India, Mr Claude Sarre General Manager Air France-KLM and Mr Ségiyane Sylvain Paiquiry – Indo French entrepreneur and French Foreign Trade Advisor.
This year for the first time, a new category of awards was announced to felicitate a travel professional who has successfully completed Atout France’s global certified e-learning programme, France Connaisseur.
Six awardees were announced who won memorable stays and experiences in France as just rewards for their awards!
The winners for this year’s awards were:
1: Visa Category – awarded to Veena World for its exemplary endeavour towards qualitative visa submissions
Prize: A 2 night stay for 2 at the Novotel Paris La Défense, the Pullman Paris Bercy and the Novotel Jaipur Convention Centre courtesy Accor.
Destination Showcase Awards:
1: Gold – Best Showcase of France as an Incentive Destination
Winner: Thomas Cook (India) Limited
Prize: A 4 night stay for 2 people at France’s Palace Hotels that includes a 2 night stay at the elegant Shangri-La Paris and a 2 night stay the timeless Negresco in Nice
2: Diamond – Best Showcase of France as an Indulgent Destination
Winner: N.Chirag
Prize: A 2 night stay for 2 at the Palace Hotel Le Bristol Paris with a dinner for two at their 1 Michelin Starred restaurant le 114 Faubourg.
A 3 night stay for 2 in Méribel at Le Kaila (5*) and a dinner at their 1 Michelin starred restaurant L’Ekrin and 2 days ski-rental.
A 2 day Trois Vallées ski pass courtesy Meribel Tourism and a ski lesson courtesy the ESF Ski School.
A 3 night stay at Les Maisons du Clair de la Plume in Grignan, Provence including a champagne breakfast, a truffle experience, a wine tasting and vineyard visit
3: Platinum – Best Showcase of France as an Experiential Destination
Winner: Harmony-Tours
Prize: A premium economy ticket on Air France, a 3 night stay for 2 at the Fahrenheit 7 hotel in Val Thorens, a 3 night stay at the Fahrenheit 7 hotel in Courchevel and 2 “Trois Vallees Ski Passes”” for 3 days courtesy the Fahrenheit 7 hotels & 2 passes to Aquamotion and a dinner invitation by Courchevel Tourism
4: France Connassieur E-learning Award: Awarded to one travel professional for having successfully completed Atout France’s e-learning programme France Connaisseur.
Winner: Ms Noopur Shukla, Holidays & More
Prize: 1 air ticket on Air France courtesy Atout France, a 6 night/7 day sojourn in the Occitanie region courtesy the Regional Tourism Board of Occitanie and the tourism boards of Toulouse, Carcassonne, Nimes, Montpellier and Lourdes. The stay includes the following:
Toulouse: 1 night in a 4* hotel, a guided tour of the city and 2 City Passes
Carcassonne: 1 night in a 4 *hotel with a guided tour of the Medieval City with their virtual reality headset
Montpellier: 1 night in a 4*hotel, city cards and a visit “Bonjour Montpellier”.
Nimes: 1 night in a 4* hotel and 2 City Passes
Lourdes: 2 nights in a 4* hotel and tickets to the Pic du Midi
5: Media Award- awarded to 1 journalist for his/her prolific penmanship in showcasing varied facets of France
Winner: Ms Vidhi Gupta of Global Spa Magazine
Prize: 1 premium economy ticket on Air France, a 3 night stay for 2 in Luberon at the Domaine de Capelongue (5*) Bonnieux Beaumier Hotel & Spa with a full day escorted tour. The prize also includes a 3-night stay at Hotel Le Cep in Beaune, Burgundy with a wine tasting in their cellars, access to their H20 area, 1 yoga session and dinner in their vegetarian restaurant.
Sharing her thoughts, Ms Sheetal Munshaw – Director Atout France said, “This comeback edition was indeed much a much-awaited one. It was heartening to receive itineraries from different Indian cities, which again reinforces the evolution of the Indian traveller. 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 stays and experiences for our winners in both France and India. This year, in addition to the continued and steadfast support we have been receiving from VFS Global since the inception of the awards in 2015, we are also extremely pleased to have on board La Vallée Village – member of the Bicester Collection as our partner. Over the last several years, La Vallee Village has consistently invested in the market and we are grateful for their unwavering support”.
