Why you pray more, play more in France

MANILA, Philippines — Did you know that there are 50,000 religious sites in France?

Well, I didn’t. I was fortunate to have visited Lisieux a few years ago. It is the birthplace of St. Therese of the Little Flower. But that is the only religious place I have been to in France. I know a lot about Lourdes, although I have not been there — yet.

It is no wonder then that after three years of successful promotion missions and in coordination with the embassy of France to the Philippines, Atout France and its partners, the Lourdes Tourism Board, Avignon Tourism Board, Chartres Tourism Board, as well as French hotel chain The Original Human Hotels, returned to the Philippines for information on Catholic pilgrimages.

This mission reflects the importance of the tourism industry in France — it contributes to eight percent of France’s GDP and helps create over two million jobs.

Eglise Saint Pierre light in Chartres

“France is the No. 1 tourist destination in the world,” said Morad Tayebi, regional director of ASEAN, Atout France. “We welcomed over 90 million visitors in 2018, which is record-breaking. We have greater targets of course: we expect to reach 100 million by 2020. Of course, Asia is a booming market since this is where we have the biggest increase. And in Southeast Asia, the Philippines is a growing market.”

He added that last year France welcomed 10,000 Filipino travelers. Of this number,  44 percent  of those who traveled for cultural visits also went for religious purposes. This, even if there are no direct flights from the Philippines to France.

“France hosts 50,000 religious sites, of which 10,000 are protected as historic buildings,” he said. “We have 42 UNESCO sites, 11 of them are religious, including Notre Dame. We received lots of messages from the Philippines when it burned and for this we are very grateful.”

Get French visas quicker

La Salette

So, in an effort to increase the number of Filipino tourists in France, since 2017 the French Embassy in Manila has implemented the delivery of visas in at least 48 hours. This policy has increased the number of visas to France by 50 percent.

France has a wide variety of destinations to offer, from the Cote d’Azur’s sandy beaches and blue sea to snow-covered mountains and vast expanses of countryside. It is also home to some of the most important and well-known monuments in the world. Not to forget French Gastronomy, which is listed as part of UNESCO’s Cultural Heritage.

In terms of spiritual destinations, France has several important sites: Lourdes, the birthplace of St. Bernadette; Nevers, the resting place of St. Bernadette; Lisieux and Alençon, with their connection to St. Therese; Avignon, where the Pope’s palace was situated in the 14th century, and many more.

This mission comes at a terrible moment for France. The world was heartbroken to see the symbol of the French capital, Notre Dame, ravaged by flames during Holy Week.

“We received a lot of support from all over the world, especially from the Philippines where the UNESCO World Heritage site holds a very special place in Filipinos’ hearts,” Tayebi said. “The goal of this is, of course, to let travel agents in Philippines gain enough knowledge to create innovative packages and so, quench the wanderlust of Filipino travelers.”

Morad Tayebi, Atout France regional director for ASEAN; Philippe Bonfiglio, Avignon Tourism Board; Matteo Dell’Orto, The Original Hotels; Clarisse Bloner, Chartres Tourism Board; and Corinne Laussu, Lourdes Tourism Board

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For information, visit French Tourism Development Agency, Atout France at www.atout-france.fr.