DESPITE the terror attacks, France last year still remained as the most visited country in the world.
French Ambassador Thierry Mathou said they had the biggest tourist arrivals last year, including a marked increase in Filipinos traveling to their country.
“France is attractive as it used to be. What happened in our country could have happened anywhere. Our government has done what were needed to be done,” Mathou said.
He added: “We held the largest conference there last year in COP21 [21st Conference of Parties]. It had 150 heads of states present and nothing happened.”
Mathou said their government is not enforcing stricter measures in handling foreign nationals going to their country.
“There is no profiling of tourists. There are no restrictions, especially on visas. There is even an instruction to issue long-duration visas,” he said.
Projections for 2015 have France tourist arrivals reaching 86.30 million, or close to a 3-percent jump from 2014 data.
Tourist arrivals from the Philippines last year was at 30,000. Mathou said they are expecting a 15-percent increase in Filipinos traveling to France this year.
He said the French government is in talks right now with its Philippine counterparts for direct routes between the two countries.
Air France-KLM stopped direct flights between the two countries in 2012 because of high fuel cost and difficult economic conditions.
Still, a good sign of increased Filipino interest in traveling to France is the move of the embassy of France to open its own visa-application center in the country.
Manila’s French visa center will offer a personalized reception, assistance in the completion of applicants’ files, and provide real-time information on the status of the application and the release date of the passport of the applicant through e-mail or text.
However, Mathou said France largest market in the Asia-Pacific region still remains China and Japan.
France last year was hit with two separate terror attacks. There was the shooting rampage inside the Charlie Hebdo office last January and the November Paris attack, which is considered as the single deadliest terror attack in its history.
Image credits: Rodel Alzona