Atout France closing it’s doors in South Africa

France will close its longstanding French Tourism Promotion Agency office, Atout France, in Johannesburg on 29 February 2024.

The closure of the Johannesburg office is a sad loss for South Africans and businesses, that have benefited from the valuable services offered by Atout France.

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RE-EVALUATED OPERATIONS

Atout France is the official agency of the French government, for tourism promotion and development.

Travel News reports that France has been in the process of re-evaluating the international zones in which it operates.

After much consideration, France has decided to end the agency’s physical presence in South Africa. 

ATOUT FRANCE CLOSING JOHANNESBURG TOURISM OFFICE

The office will close its Johannesburg branch at the end of this month.

However, this does not mean that it will no longer be represented in South Africa.

From 1 March a representative from the Atout France office in Dubai, will facilitate dealings with South Africa and will be the point of contact for South Africa.  

ATOUT FRANCE

Through its 32 offices around the world and close collaboration with the diplomatic network, the agency has an in-depth knowledge of the various tourism markets and distribution stakeholders. 

The agency guides and supports the different French regions with their development strategy and helps set up investment projects in order to boost the country’s tourism offering and raise its quality.

FRENCH TOURISM

France and South Africa have longstanding relations.

South Africa receives many tourists from France every year.

South Africa also has a number of French companies operating in the local economy.

FLYING TO FRANCE

France’s national carrier Air France operates daily scheduled flights between Paris and Johannesburg.

The airline also offers direct flights between Paris and Cape Town every week. However, these are not operated daily.