France

With passenger traffic in 2020 only a third of what it was in 2019 (70 million in 2020 compared with 214 million in 2019), France's airports are gearing up to win back the market. According to Thomas Juin, Chairman of the Union des Aéroports...

We suspected it, but the Union of French Airports (UAF) has confirmed it. 2020 will have seen a collapse in traffic on a scale hitherto unknown in the history of French air transport. Last year, French airports welcomed 70.045 million passengers, a fall of 67.3% compared with 2019. The number of flights reached 898...

The compelling reasons requirement for travel to or from a country outside the European area, which has been in force since 31 January 2021, has just been relaxed by the French government. From now on, travel to or from seven countries will no longer be prohibited, unless it can be shown that there is an emergency of a family, medical or other nature....

The Radisson Blu Rouen Centre has opened in the heart of the city, not far from the train station and close to its famous cathedral and the pedestrian district that criss-crosses the historic centre of the Norman city. "With this opening, we are further strengthening our position as the leading international hotel group in the region, with 20...

Patrick Mendes has been in charge of Accor's international sales for some time, before taking over as head of the hotel group's operations in Latin America. He is now heading up a new division which, for the first time, brings together the Sales, Distribution, Marketing and Loyalty divisions. As part of his duties, Patrick Mendes also oversees the eight regional hubs recently created by Accor...

No real surprises on the financial results for French air transport. 2020 has been confirmed as the worst year ever for Air France-KLM. The bi-national tandem suffered a historic loss of 7.1 billion euros. By way of comparison, the biggest loss recorded by the group in the 2009-2010 financial year was "only" 1.6 billion euros....

At its annual conference, In Extenso drew up a gloomy balance sheet for the French hotel industry as it prepared its accounts for 2020. Revenue per room (RevPAR), the industry's benchmark, has fallen by 55 % compared with 2019, a figure that sums up the hotels...

A few days after announcing the opening of a future four-star long-stay establishment in Boulogne-Billancourt, Adagio is unveiling a new project in Saint-Nazaire for its three-star Adagio access brand, with the franchise takeover of an establishment launched in January 2016. The Aparthotel Adagio access Saint-Nazaire is due to open in May 2021, and for the occasion its 80 flats will be...

For several years now, Numbeo has been publishing crime and safety rankings for cities around the world. The results are based on surveys of visitors to the website. Numbeo says that the questions are similar to those used in many similar scientific and government surveys. Each survey entry is recorded...

EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse saw its traffic levels hit hard by the pandemic. According to the airport's management, the hub returned to traffic levels last year comparable to those recorded in 1997. In 2020, 2.6 million passengers passed through the Franco-Swiss airport, a fall of 71%. Flight load factors were...

It's one thing to capitalise on the demand for hybrid events by acquiring new filming and broadcasting equipment. But we also need to be able to cover the 'physical' part of this 'phygital' dossier, and therefore welcome participants on site, in suitable conditions. That's why the Centre Expo Congrès in Mandelieu-La Napoule recently inaugurated...

From midnight on Sunday 24 January, France will require a PCR test to be carried out 72 hours before departure. This measure concerns most European travellers wishing to enter France. Until now, the measure only applied to travellers from countries outside the European Union. This new compulsory test measure...

Announced for next spring, the arrival in France of Kimpton Hotels, the five-star design hotel of the IHG group, will undoubtedly be one of the key openings in the Paris hotel industry in 2021. In the same way, for example, as the Cheval Blanc, the conversion of the famous Samaritaine into a luxury hotel led by LVMH. Coincidence...

"When you look at yourself, you feel sorry. When we compare ourselves, we console ourselves. French hoteliers can always ponder Talleyrand's maxim by analysing the business indicators presented by MKG. The year 2020 will obviously go down as one of the worst in their history, with an unprecedented -61.3 % drop in revenue...

In addition to announcing the introduction of a curfew from 6pm throughout France, to avoid further confinement as far as possible, Prime Minister Jean Castex has announced reinforced border control measures. From Monday 18 January, all travellers arriving from outside the...

The creation of the Grand Est region under the presidency of François Hollande in 2013 and its beginnings in 2016 have from the outset created deep frustration in Alsace. More than anywhere else in the Grand Est region, Alsace has a very strong cultural, linguistic and societal identity. Alsace's malaise has been perceptible since the...

Sounds like a Christmas present. According to the consultant OAG, which analyses airlines' capacity on a week-by-week basis, the week of 21 December saw the total number of seats offered flirt with 61 million. This represents a week-on-week increase of 1.8%. Such a figure has not been seen since...

The government confirmed it on Thursday: on 15 December, the general public will once again be able to move around freely, without a permit. At least during the day: a curfew will be in force from 8pm until 6am. But outside these hours - and on Christmas Eve, when there will be no...

Among those hardest hit by the consequences of the pandemic, the events sector remains pugnacious and determined to save what can still be saved. At the end of last week, the representatives of the events industry - Coésio, Crealians, France Congrès et Événements, Leads, L'ÉVÉNEMENT, Synpase, Traiteurs de France and Unimev - published a "letter of intent"...