France may seem a long way off for Canadians at the moment – both physically and logistically – but Atout France is assuring the travel trade here that there is plenty going in the country designed to delight visitors when they return.

To that end, the Canadian office of the tourist board recently hosted “Destination France 2021,” a four-day virtual exhibition offering educational presentations and webinars for Canadian travel agents, along with the opportunity to meet representatives of a dozen French destinations and suppliers in a bid to “find the human connection that we are all longing for (during the pandemic).”

Atout France Canadian director Melanie Paul-Hus told the more than 400 agents in attendance that “patience, resilience and friendship” are required to overcome these “uncommon times” and that Canada’s friends in France are eager to ready, willing, and able to oblige.

Among those friends, she noted, were the impressive list of French partners taking part in the Canada expo, from the Juno Beach Centre to Dieppe Maritime Tourism, Club Med Canada, Get to France Incoming, Marseille Provence Cruise Club, Martinique Tourism Authority, Nice Cote d’Azur CVB, Galeries Lafayette Haussmann, Destination Occitanie, Château de la, and tourist offices from Montpellier and Toulouse.

“It is essential to keep in touch, remind ourselves of the many wonders of France, and to maintain business relations (not to forget the friendships) within a shaken but passion-driven industry,” she said.

Paul-Hus says the French government has spared no effort in supporting travel and tourism in France and is providing support to many small and medium businesses in the tourism sector to ensure that they remain viable during the pandemic downturn.

It is also encouraging innovative post-epidemic tourism solutions through a program called the Welcome City Labs, with successful candidates qualifying for start-up funding from Atout France and its partners. Examples include visitor flow management solutions, online ticketing services dedicated to heritage, contactless check-in, lost and found services for visitors, health and safety training programs, as well as other digital innovations.

As for travel counsellors, a new agent specialist program will be unveiled soon.

Paul-Hus acknowledges that, while hopeful, it is not “100 percent certain” that Canadians will be allowed to return to France this summer, but she smiles, “I can assure you there will be a summer in France.”

And that includes a wealth of activities, anniversaries, exhibitions, and festivals taking place, some of which, like the Cannes International Film Festival, have moved dates to a more advantageous time (July). She notes new openings, such as some luxury hotels in Paris and the Underwater Museum in Marseille, that are going ahead.

And she says, this summer’s events will be a test for major future events to come in France, including the World Rugby Cup in 2023 and 2024 Summer Olympic Games.

They are also reminders, she says, of “the France we want to go back to – as soon as possible.” And just as importantly that “your friends in France are still there.”