The #ExploreFrance slogan returns again in 2024 to unite Atout France, the 13 regional tourism organisations of mainland France and around 20 companies in the sector, as part of the campaign to promote France as a destination internationally.
On this fourth occasion, the collective intends to consolidate the sustainability aspect of the destination’s positioning in a year marked by the organisation of major events, advocating slower, more sustainable and authentic tourism. ‘Dream big, live slow’ is an invitation to dare to dream big and to experience the best that France has to offer!
‘Dream big, live slow’: with an emphasis on greener means of transport
Continuing on from 2023, the 2024 campaign will even more strongly highlight offerings that cater to travellers seeking a slower, more sustainable, and more authentic tourism experience. The evaluation tools of the #ExploreFrance 2023 campaign, on a sample of 6,000 respondents spread across the 10 priority markets, showed that 84% think the campaign positions France as a sustainable destination (up 1% from 2022), with 83% considering the campaign to be inspiring. This is a campaign that, under the evocative slogan “Dream big, live slow”, invites travellers to embark on memorable and environmentally friendly travel experiences in France.
As part of the national strategy to make France the world’s number-one destination for cycle tourism by 2030, this year Atout France wants to place particular emphasis on cycle tourism, in collaboration with France Vélo Tourisme.
France offers over 20,755 km of cycle routes spread throughout the country. It has 10 Eurovélo routes (Vélodyssée, Scandibérique, Vélomaritime, Traversata Maio 20, Via Romea Francigena, Véloroute Rhin and Via Rhôna to name just a few) and almost 60 identified routes, taking in incredible views and places inaccessible by car, at your own pace and in complete freedom. Cycling is aimed at all travellers, offering possibilities both for sports cycling enthusiasts and for families looking for outdoor leisure activities, or adventurers wishing to roam across France from one region to another. The Loire by Bike, gravel cycling on the Grande Traversée du Jura, the Vélomaritime route in Normandy, the Dolce Via or the Ardèche by Bike, Provence and the Durance by Bike… there is something for everyone!
The collective has also chosen to highlight sites and areas that are still relatively undiscovered, ensuring visitors have an original holiday experience, as well as iconic locations outside peak times, supporting strategies to reduce seasonality in the regions and spread tourist flows.
Watch the #ExploreFrance 2024 campaign film
A campaign to be launched in around 20 countries
Targeting the general public, the campaign – the first regional activations of which are already underway – will ramp up in early April across 10 European markets: Germany, Belgium, the UK, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Denmark, Sweden and Austria, as well as the US and Canada. The initiative will expand to new long-haul markets based on the development opportunities presented by institutional partners, aiming to introduce the sustainable dimension of the destination to the public of Mexico, Brazil, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, India, Singapore, South Korea, Japan, Australia and the United Arab Emirates.
Campaign mechanisms
The #ExploreFrance 2024 campaign is structured around three campaign phases which can be activated simultaneously by partners who wish to do so.
- Phase 1 will take the form of an awareness campaign aimed at bringing overall visibility to France as a destination. It will inspire tourists by suggesting fresh options for places to stay and experiences in line with their interests. This campaign will be launched during the month of April. It will revolve around a media plan worth nearly 800,000 euros co-invested by Atout France and Tripadvisor across the 10 European markets, as well as a social media communication plan across all targeted markets.
- Phase 2 allows Regional Tourism Committees / Attractiveness Agencies / Tourism Agencies who wish to capitalise on the #ExploreFrance campaign to do so by supplementing it with additional communication, specifically promoting regional destination brands in the target markets. This approach will be open to sub-regional organisations that will join and support this dynamic.
- Phase 3, conducted in partnership with private companies (including international transport and distribution players), will aim to trigger bookings by promoting ready-to-sell products in the priority European markets and opportunity long-haul markets.
Priority will be given to digital media. Purchases of space and influence marketing campaigns on social networks will thus be carried out in the targeted markets. In addition, the Atout France teams will carry out important awareness-raising work for distribution players (tour operators and travel agencies) and the media in their respective markets. Press events will be organised during European Sustainable Development Week to showcase French sustainable tourism across all international markets.
The mobilisation around this co-constructed recovery campaign enables the pooling of human and financial resources. An overall amount of 8.6 million euros is expected to be co-invested by the State (via Atout France), the regions via the Regional Tourism Committees / Attractiveness Agencies / Tourism Agencies and their sub-regional partners, as well as by businesses in the sector in the European markets, and close to 900,000 euros total budget in the North American markets.
2024: a very special year
In 2024, France will organise and celebrate numerous events of global importance: The Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, the 80th anniversary of the D-Day Landings and the Battle of Normandy, the 150th anniversary of the birth of Impressionism, the 19th Francophonie Summit and the reopening of Notre-Dame Cathedral at the end of the year. These are highlights on which Atout France and its partners intend to leverage in order to showcase the diversity and quality of French tourism to the whole world. Its tourist assets are continuously innovating and evolving to meet traveller expectations, particularly in terms of sustainability.
In short: What’s new in the 2024 campaign
- The promotion of cycle tourism as a greener means of transport (as well as art de vivre/gastronomy, culture and heritage) within the 13 French metropolitan regions in a harmonious management of tourist flows
- The introduction of the campaign to new long-haul markets, providing them with a sustainable dimension for their stay in France
The #ExploreFrance 2023 campaign – Key figures
Press contact:
Atout France UK – press.office@atout-france.fr
franceuncovered.com 