Tourism business

National, theme parks and the Tour de France cycle

The national parks of France are a system of ten national parks throughout metropolitan France and its overseas departments, coordinated by the government agency Parcs Nationaux de France. The French national parks protect a total area of 3,710 square km in core area and 9,162 square km in buffer zones in metropolitan France. This puts over 2% of the total area of metropolitan France under some level of protection. French national parks draw over seven million visitors every year [16] .

1. 
   Vanoise National Park is a French national park between the Tarentaise and Maurienne valleys in the French Alps, created in 1963. It was the first French national park. This park is in the département of Savoie. Little villages like Champagny-le-Haut, Termignon, La Chiserette, Bramans, Sollières-Sardières, Friburge and Séez are near this park. The park is well known for its population of Alpine ibex which is its emblem. There are more than 100 bird species in the protected area. Birds of prey include bearded vulture, golden eagle and Eurasian eagle-owl [17].
   
2. 
   Port-Cros National Park (French: Parc national de Port-Cros) is a French national park established on the Mediterranean island of Port-Cros, east of Toulon. It also administers natural areas in some surrounding locales. It was founded in 1963 after the island of Port-Cros was bequeathed to the state. The state is the sole land owner on the island, which is a natural protected area [18].
   
3. 
   The Pyrénées National Park is a national park located within the French départements of Hautes-Pyrénées and Pyrénées-Atlantiques. The park was created in 1967 as a natural heritage site without barriers or fences where animals are totally free. Devoted to preserving biodiversity and landscapes, as well as studying wildlife and plant species, the park is home to 70 different species of animals [19] .
   
4. 
   The Cévennes National Park is a national park located in southern France, in the mountainous area of Cévennes. The park includes several mountains and plateaus. Mont Lozère is the highest peak in the area, reaching 1,699 metres [20].
   
5. 
   Écrins National Park is one of the ten French national parks. It is located in the south-eastern part of France and consists in a mountainous region of the Dauphiné Alps, south of Grenoble and north of Gap, shared between the départements of Isère and Hautes-Alpes. It attracts up to 800,000 tourists each year. The park has been awarded the European Diploma of Protected Areas [21] .
   
6. 
   Mercantour National Park was created in 1979, has proven popular, with 800,000 visitors every year enjoying the 600 km of marked footpaths and visiting its villages. In addition to the holm oak, the Mediterranean olive tree, rhododendrons, firs, spruces, Swiss pines and above all larches, the Mercantour is also endowed with more than 2,000 species of flowering plants, 200 of which are very rare. There is a tremendous variety of wildlife in the Mercantour: red deer and roe deer in the undergrowth, hares and wild boars, partridges, golden eagles and buzzards, numerous species of butterflies and even about 50 Italian wolves [22] .
   
7. 
   Guiana Amazonian Park is aiming at protecting part of the Amazonian forest located in French Guiana. This is the largest French national park and one of the largest national parks in the world. It cannot be accessed from the sea-shore or by any other means other than by airplane or pirogue. Put together with Tumucumaque National Park the Guiana Amazonian Park represents the biggest rain forest protected area in the whole world [23] .
   
8. 
   Réunion National Park is a national park on the island of Réunion, an overseas department of France located in the western Indian Ocean region. Established on 5 March 2007, the park protects the endemic ecosystems of Les Hauts, Réunion's mountainous interior. The park's core zone and part of its buffer zone were designated a World Heritage site in 2010, under the name "Pitons, cirques and remparts of Reunion Island" [24] .
   
9. 
   Guadeloupe National Park is a national park in Guadeloupe, an overseas department of France located in the Leeward Islands of the eastern Caribbean region. The Grand Cul-de-Sac Marin Nature Reserve is a marine protected area adjacent to the park and administered in conjunction with it. Together, these protected areas comprise the Guadeloupe Archipelago biosphere reserve. There are 3 ecosystems here (Tropical Rainforest, Coastal Forest, Mangrove) and also 17 mammalian species and 33 types of birds are living here [25] .
   
10. 
    Calanques National Park is a national park located in southern France, established in 2012. It extends over 520 km of which 85 km is land, while the remaining is marine area. It includes parts of the Massif des Calanques stretching between Marseille and Cassis [26] .
    

France has getting on for 100 different theme parks, if you include all categories from the amusement parks such as Eurodisney, through wildlife parks and aquariums, to living history open-air museums such the Alsace Ecomusée. Among the most popular of these sites are [30] :

1. 
   Disneyland is generally a must-see location for anyone visiting Paris with children. Yet with its rides in time, in place and in space, and its themed areas, Disneyland Paris claims to have something for everyone, adults and children alike. Even for the serious-minded, there are areas like the Discovery Arcade, or a chance to learn how film stunts are actually done [31] .
   
2. 
   Right in the heart of the Greater Paris region, Parc Astérix offers 36 attractions, ten or so of which are dedicated to those less than 6 years old, designed to enable the indomitable visitors to experience tailor-made adventures [32] .
   
3. 
   The second most visited theme park in France, after Paris Disneyland, le Puy du Fou historic theme park is the major tourist attraction in the Vendée area of western France. In March 2012, at a ceremony in Los Angeles, it was awarded the prestigious "Oscar" of the theme park industry, the Thea Award, as world's best theme park for 2012 [33] .
   

The Tour de France is an annual multiple stage bicycle race primarily held in France, while also occasionally making passes through nearby countries. The race was first organized in 1903 to increase paper sales for the magazine L'Auto; it is currently run by the Amaury Sport Organisation. The race has been held annually since its first edition in 1903 except for when it was stopped for the two World Wars. As the Tour gained prominence and popularity the race was lengthened and its reach began to extend around the globe. Participation expanded from a primarily French field, as riders from all over the world began to participate in the race each year. Traditionally, the race is held primarily in the month of July. While the route changes each year, the format of the race stays the same with the appearance of time trials, the passage through the mountain chains of the Pyrenees and the Alps, and the finish on the Champs-Élysées in Paris [27] .