France
|
The French outbound market France ranks 4th in the world in terms of spend on international travel, and in recent years the market has grown steadily. Traditionally holidays have been taken domestically, but outbound holiday-taking is now increasing and is forecast to continue to grow in the coming years. The French traditionally favour long touring holidays over the summer and have one of the highest holiday entitlements in the world. However, an increasing trend for shorter more frequent breaks is emerging. Like many countries, the most popular type of outbound holiday for French people is a beach holiday. However, both touring and city holidays are popular, as they enjoy learning about different cultures and discovering new places. Scotland’s visitors France is Scotland’s 4th most valuable international market in terms of expenditure. The most popular activities amongst French people are the classic touring activities of exploring the scenery and sightseeing. Walking is also a popular activity for French people to do in Scotland. Marketing Activities In France, we target people aged from 30-55 years, mainly travelling without children. We focus on people based from Paris and the Ile de France region as well as other main urban centres. New direct routes from low cost carriers and the targeting of a slightly younger target audience are contributing to the growth in popularity of Scottish city breaks. VisitScotland have created two French language websites - one aimed at touring in Scotland and the other at taking city breaks in Edinburgh and Glasgow. Our main marketing activity is focused on driving our target visitors to these websites and encouraging them to leave us their contact details so we may continue to engage with them. VisitScotland also works directly with the French travel trade to ensure that a variety of Scotland product is offered. It is vital to ensure that any new products and services are communicated to their customers and reflected in their travel offers.
The Visitor Experience survey asked our summer visitors about their holiday experience in Scotland. Summaries of the overall and country specific findings are available. To find out about our marketing activities in France and how you can become involved, please visit our Marketing Opportunities section. Useful links: A profile of the French market is also available from VisitBritain Some websites providing information on French travel trends – please note most information available here is in French: The French government’s tourism directorate |
