Excerpts from the daily press briefing by Alexandre Giorgini, French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and international Development deputy spokesman (Paris, September 24th 2014) Tourism – Promotion of France in Australia In accordance with the objective set at the closing session of the Tourism Conference in June, our diplomatic network is stepping up its efforts to promote tourism in France. For example, a number of initiatives were undertaken in September in Australia; 1.2 million Australian citizens visited our country in 2013 (14% more than in 2012). In order to strengthen France’s position as one of the most popular tourist destinations for Australians, our diplomatic network in Australia and Atout France organized a series of events in cooperation with tourism professionals. These events – exhibitions, films, gastronomic evenings – showcased the major French destinations in mainland and overseas France, with a particular focus on the Somme, to where many Australian families travel in order to honor the memory of the thousands of Australian soldiers who fell during the Great War. In total, more than 3,000 Australian travel agents, journalists and opinion makers participated in these events. France will be the guest of honor at the 2017 Frankfurt Book Fair – Joint statement by Mr. Laurent Fabius and Ms. Fleur Pellerin During his visit to Germany on Monday, September 22, Prime Minister Manuel Valls officially accepted the invitation extended to France by the organizers of the Frankfurt Book Fair – the most important book fair in the world – to occupy the Guest of Honor Pavilion in 2017. This decision reflects the government’s determination to continue and strengthen French-German cooperation in the cultural policy arena, which is especially strong in the field of books following the adoption of common positions on reduced VAT rates for digital books and copyright protection. It also represents an outstanding opportunity for the French book industry to increase its international visibility and standing. Exporting our culture presents many challenges, from changes in the French-speaking community which now has 230 million members to the priority that should be given to the assignment of copyrights for works in the literary and humanities fields in emerging countries. Lastly, it provides a unique opportunity to promote the image of France in Germany and abroad by highlighting the dynamism of its entire cultural sector. Laurent Fabius and Fleur Pellerin will work together with all stakeholders to make this initiative a resounding success in October 2017. The Frankfurt Book Fair brings together more than 275,000 visitors and 7,300 exhibitors every year. The French edition will constitute one of the largest foreign contingents at the fair, with more than 200 exhibitors. The last time that France was guest of honor at the Frankfurt Book Fair was 1989.
Posted on: Wed, 24 Sep 2014 22:51:23 +0000
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