Connecting with the French Travel Trade Industry at IFTM Top Resa in Paris

Visit California alongside Interface Tourism brought a delegation of nine California industry partners to help re-establish the California presence at IFTM Top Resa trade show in Paris, France from October 2-5, 2023. Top Resa IFTM Paris is the major travel trade exhibition in France and is recognized as the primary opportunity to reach French travel trade buyers. The delegation consisted of the following industry partners:

• Los Angeles Tourism
• Simco Restaurant Group
• Hotel Zephyr San Francisco
• Visit Greater Palm Springs
• Visit Santa Cruz County
• Santa Monica Travel and Tourism
• Mammoth Lakes Tourism
• CG Hotel Group Silicon Valley and Vidovich Vineyards
• New World Travel

IFTM Top Resa by the Numbers

• 10 California Industry Members
• 170 Global Destinations
• 1,400 Travel Brands
• 29,475 Tourism Professionals

Top Trends

• California gateway destinations are still top sellers for tour operators due to direct flights from France.
• Top selling packages to California are fly-and-drive combos San Francisco, Los Angeles, Death Valley National Park, Yosemite National Park and Highway 1.
• Hidden gem, “niche” and off-the-beaten path experiences are highly sought out.
• Personalization and experiential itineraries are becoming more important to tour operator clients.
• French-speaking tour guides are crucial to have in our destination.
• Strong need for new inspirational content and recommendations.
• French travelers are open to other lesser-known national parks, even if Yosemite remains the most popular choice. Tour operators are sending clients to alternative parks like Sequoia National Park with great success.
• Outdoor adventure, nature and “slow” travel itineraries are becoming more popular.
• Tour operators are using influencers more and more to promote their brand alongside destinations to improve the conversion of their packages.

Current Challenges

• The current top competitors with California for tourism dollars are short-haul European destinations, Dominican Republic, French Polynesia, Mexico, Mauritius, and other islands in the Indian Ocean and Thailand. The top three selling destinations are California, Florida and New York.
• Media headlines that cause brand tarnish for California are increasing. Gateway destinations are struggling, but awareness through training can help with these challenges.
• There is a lack of knowledge about private transportation suppliers available in California.
• There is also a general misperception regarding travel distances and times between California destinations.
• Tour operators want a platform for real-time updates on crisis communications, including fires, flooding, road closures and more.

Key Takeaways

• California continues to be a key destination for the French market. Currently, California is sold as the "great American West," not the fully diverse California we promote. However, the destination has the potential to be sold as a standalone for repeat visitors — as it was before the pandemic.
• In 2022, tour operators received a lot of negative feedback regarding services (no breakfast available in hotels, for example). This is not the case anymore in 2023.
• Visit California will prioritize travel trade education about diverse landscapes, California destinations and distance between those.
• Coming to California during the summer months remains very popular for French travelers. Promoting seasonality in B2B2C marketing campaigns remains a key objective for our marketing and promotional efforts.