France is getting lonely at the top
France is the most visited country in the world. Despite the reputation of its grumpy people, the hexagon-shaped country just keeps on hitting the highest score every year of the most visitors. However, its opponents, Spain and Italy, seem to be slowly making their way up and getting closer and closer each round.
The people at the French Ministry of Tourism, well aware of the situation, are definitely spending the big bucks to educate the nation on how to greet and treat tourists. Heck, to start with, we have a whole ministry dedicated to this, who even oversees branches in most countries to promote this wonderful land.
The government ensures continuous training of its travel industry soldiers by encouraging them to properly greet the visitors, like the campaign “Bonjour!” that was launched in 1994, and recently refreshed by the campaign “Bienvenue en France”, widely marketed to all concerned.
Another useful aspect of the ministry is to run surveys on traveling habits and attitudes of the foreign visitors. This is how I came to know that 36% of the entourage of American travelers speak negatively to them about France. 16% would not recommend the destination AT ALL.
Wow.
Ok. So I’ll admit it: we the French have a centuries-old tradition of complaining. Yes, we like to complain about the weather (it’s always too hot or too cold anyway), and we like our strikes. The people strike to complain, and the ones who don’t, complain about the ones who do. We are very much attached to our quality of life and our 35-hour work week, and seem to have no intention of compromising it, even if it means we will be the laughing stock of the rest of the world forever.
Once in a while, I have a surprised client who comes back from France feeling cheated of an experience for not having encountered a smelly taxi driver yelling at them in French. It’s as if the French were saving their social skills for special occasions, or for people who they ascertain are worth it. But I know for a fact that if you dig a little deeper, most of us not taxi drivers can actually be nice and funny and capable of leaving those dreary faces behind.
But has the French gone too far into maintaining their high standard of Complainers? With the Euro climbing through the roof these days, it seems that missing your hotel reservation because the railroad workers are on strike, or being snubbed by the crêpes vendor because you forgot to say “s’il vous plaît” , is just not cute anymore. Because traveling to Europe is more expensive than anywhere else right now, travelers are expecting courtesy, and they want their trip to run smoothly. They just want a nice time for their money’s worth. AND THEY SHOULD!
Which is exactly why the Italian and the Spanish are gaining points. Being naturally warmer people than the French, they are using their Latin charm to lure the tourists over to their borders.
So why on earth are 78 million people still packing their suitcases to happily go get bullied by rude Parisians? I personally can think of a million and one reasons, and here are a few of them:
- BECAUSE you enjoy getting a fresh baguette first thing in the morning and listen to the boulanger complain about the weather.
- BECAUSE a 5-course meal is not just reserved for Sundays.
- BECAUSE you like a good Pastis and a game of Belote with a bunch of strangers.
- BECAUSE each region is so culturally different that you will never be bored.
- BECAUSE visiting a prehistoric cave and a 12th century fortress can be done in the same day.
- BECAUSE you don’t have to choose between sea and mountain.
- BECAUSE most French cheeses are exclusively produced in their own regions so you won’t find them anywhere else.
And finally…
- BECAUSE where else are you going to participate in a French Kiss World Record event on Valentine’s Day? http://www.parisianevents.com/parisianparty/?p=565
Yes, for these charming reasons and many, many more, France is still sitting up high on its throne. Despite their quirks and eccentricities, the French can be lovable. Really.
By Celia Coene, BellaTerra Travel.








