Expedia Group, Atout France and CRT Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, today announce a multi-million-euro co-operative campaign to encourage tourism in Cote d’Azur and Provence during Autumn and Winter, supporting tourism in the quieter months. The South of France is one of the most popular places to visit globally with more than 30 million tourists each year traveling to the Côte d’Azur and Provence (CRT 2022). Whether it is to explore the timeless elegance of Nice or the charm of Provence’s ancient cities, there is so much for visitors to experience in the South of France even out of the busy summer season.
The new advertising campaign, which is part of the Explore France campaign run by Atout France, will transform the traditional vision of travel by strengthening the notoriety and cultural influence of the South of France. Inspiring travelers to embrace Provence’s Autumn charm and the sereneness of the Côte d’Azur winter; travelers will be encouraged to, “Linger longer and delve deeper into the heart of the South of France.” The advertising campaign will help support responsible tourism by motivating travelers to visit this popular region out-of-season, generating demand for tourism businesses all-year-round. The multi-million-euro investment further strengthens the already well-established cooperation between Expedia Group, Atout France and CRT Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur and is the biggest investment yet to promote a single region in France.
CRT Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur will use Expedia Group’s industry-first shoppable platform technology via a dedicated microsite which gives travelers the tools to shop and book travel as they are watching travel content. The shoppable platform was designed and created by Expedia Group’s Media Studio; an in-house, award-winning creative agency. Starting from the end of September, US travelers will see beautiful scenes of the South of France on the shoppable platform and then be able to book by tapping into Expedia Group’s great choice of places to stay, whilst unlocking a special discount code when they book. The campaign also includes Display Ads of the stunning scenery and cities of the South of France. The Ads will go live in the United States, United Kingdom, Germany and Switzerland.
“The campaign we are launching with Expedia Group and CRT Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur is part of our national strategy to offer travelers from all over the world wonderful experiences in France off the beaten track. We’re delighted to invite them to come and discover the breadth of cultural richness and unique landscapes of the Cote d’Azur and Provence during Autumn and Winter. It’s a perfect time to get up close and personal with a destination, to discover a different side of it… There are so many exceptional experiences to enjoy in France all year round!” says Caroline Leboucher, CEO Atout France.
“We love to create advertising which inspires people to travel to incredible locations. This new campaign uses our innovative technology to bring the South of France to life for US travelers by showing them what they can see and do in the quieter months. Our data shows a twenty-five percent increase in US travelers searching for France this Autumn versus the last year[1]. We also see good signs from other inbound markets, all of which will support tourism businesses in Cote d’Azur and Provence.” explains Ariane Gorin, President of Expedia for Business.
“We want people to savor the South of France beyond the summer: Tourism was born in France, two centuries ago on the French Riviera and it was… in the winter! It is time to remember that and to develop our tourist economy with a new customer experience, different from that of the very high season. There is so much to experience here and many great places to stay all year round. Winter is the new summer, welcome to Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur.” commented François de Canson, CEO CRT Provence-Alpes-Cote d’Azur.
On the 5th of October, tourism professionals from across the region will meet at the Opera in Nice to announce a new “Nice Cote d’Azur in Winter” campaign part of the joint campaign between Expedia Group, Atout France and CRT Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur and with the support of Nice Côte d’Azur and Menton Riviera tourism boards.