France Merges Tourism Groups to Create Atout France

Hervé Novelli, France’s secretary of state for commerce, artisan industry, small and mid-sized business and tourism, presided over the general assembly of Maison de la France to create Atout France, a new association that is now the sole national organization for the tourism sector. Atout France has ambitious plans for a coordinated and more efficient public policy in order to respond to the challenges posed for French tourism.

The government bill for development and modernization of tourism services that was unanimously adopted by the Senate on April 9 and will be reviewed by the National Assembly in June, makes provisions for new missions, most notably the classification of tourism accommodations and the maintenance of a registry of travel agencies.

Atout France will continue to be responsible for tourism engineering, economic observation and promotion that was formerly handled by Maison de la France and ODIT France. It will also develop its international and educational activities.

As an association of public and private interests, Atout France aims to build on the successful experience gained in partnership administration as seen with Bienvenue France in the 1980s and by Maison de la France since 1987 and ODIT France since 2006.

The new corporate logo, used for communication to professionals, will have the distinction of always appearing with the France brand that was introduced on the occasion of the National Tourism Conference in June 2008. The France brand alone will be used for all consumer advertising and promotional materials.