Atout France Roadshow Celebrates Partners in Toronto

Atout France’s Destination France 2026 Tour stopped in Toronto on March 10, bringing together 31 French and Canadian tourism partners to meet with travel advisors and showcase new opportunities for Canadian travellers.

The event began with a trade marketplace that generated more than 380 one-on-one meetings between exhibitors and advisors. The sessions provided the Canadian travel trade with updates on France’s tourism offerings while helping foster new partnerships that could lead to expanded itineraries and travel products for the Canadian market.

Looking ahead, France is also preparing to host the 2030 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games, with competitions taking place across the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur regions in February and March 2030. Tourism officials noted the event will act as a long-term catalyst for tourism development in the French Alps, building on the global attention generated by the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics.

Speaking to the trade, Mélanie Paul-Hus, Director of Atout France Canada, thanked the industry for its continued partnership and encouraged advisors to explore new travel options across the country.

“We look forward to welcoming Canadians to France, the French Caribbean and overseas territories, and to offering unique experiences including the 2030 Winter Games and sustainable travel options tailored to Canadian travellers,” she said.

Paul-Hus also shared the latest tourism figures for France, which recorded strong growth in 2025. The country welcomed 102 million international visitors, two million more than the previous year. International visitors spent €77.5 billion, representing a nine per cent increase year over year.

France has set a target of reaching €100 billion in tourism revenue by 2030, with a strategy that emphasizes regional tourism experiences including heritage travel, wine tourism, agritourism and memorial tourism; all segments the tourism board says resonates strongly with Canadian travellers.

Tour partner Air Canada also showcased its extensive connectivity between Canada and France, including direct flights from Montreal to Paris, Lyon, Nantes, Toulouse and Nice, as well as service to Fort-de-France and Pointe-à-Pitre in the French Caribbean.

Through a partnership with SNCF and AccessRail, travellers can also access integrated air-rail connections within France, making it easier to reach regional destinations beyond major gateways.

Air Canada also highlighted accessibility initiatives, including becoming the first North American airline to adopt the Sunflower program for travellers with invisible disabilities, along with ongoing efforts aimed at achieving carbon neutrality.

Up next, the Atout France team and its partners will head to Montreal and Halifax to meet up with tourism professionals from Eastern Canada.