Tourism business

Geographical and economical potential of France

France boasts the most varied natural environment of any country in Europe; it varies from the lush agricultural countryside of Normandy and Brittany, or the rolling prairies of Champagne or Beauce, to Alpine peaks, northern spruce forests, the dry hinterland of Provence, the steppe-like plateau of the Causses, not to mention a very varied coastline including the North Sea, the Channel, the Atlantic ocean and the Mediterranean. It would take an encyclopedia to make an exhaustive list of all the natural tourist sites, and the thousands of natural attractions in France. The country has six National Parks, 43 regional parks which are more or less the same as national parks in all but in official status (parcs naturels régionaux), hundreds of areas listed and protected under the official European Natural 2000 programs, and even - off the beaten track - hundreds more sites that would be classified as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs) in England, but do not even get a mention in guidebooks in France [4].

Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean; due to its shape, it is often referred to in French as l’Hexagone ("The Hexagon"). France is one of only three countries (with Morocco and Spain) to have both Atlantic and Mediterranean coastlines. The European territory of France covers 547,030 square kilometers - the largest among European Union members. France's total land area, with its overseas departments and territories is 674,843 km² [5].

France is the world’s fifth largest economy, its infrastructure, investment opportunities, digital innovation, research and green strategy guaranteeing its position at the forefront of the global economic stage. Economic recovery is the Government’s priority. It requires a rebalancing of the current account, and thus results on markets abroad. French Ministry of Foreign Affairs has the action plan for economic diplomacy with ten focuses, and these are two the most important for Tourism Industry:

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  Business and the Global Economy Directorate - seven special representatives contribute to boosting the dynamism of economic relations with key countries: Algeria, China, India, Japan, Mexico, Russia and the United Arab Emirates. Regional ambassadors are appointed to promote contacts between regions and their businesses on the one hand and the diplomatic network on the other.
  
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  Visa policy is also perceived as a lever for attractiveness. Instructions are given to promote and simplify procedures to obtain short-stay visas for certain stakeholders of bilateral relations, including businesspeople and potential investors, foreign students and tourists. Partnerships with businesses, chambers of commerce and universities are forged in order to simplify the procedures concerning them [Laurent Fabius, Minister of Foreign Affairs on 9 April 2013, during the closure of the “Rencontres Quai d’Orsay – Enterprises" scheme].
  

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