June 3 - Tourist agency Atout France, earlier known as Maison de la France, is trying to promote France as a tourist destination in the UAE. In this regard, the agency will introduce an online training course in the UAE at the end of the year for travel agencies and tourist operators. "The main objective is to create a tool which will allow people to gain in-depth knowledge about France as a destination. There is currently a big lack of knowledge about the destination in this region," said a spokesperson for the agency.
The course will be customised to suit various markets and companies. At the end of the course, travel agents will achieve an online learning certificate that qualifies them as a French tourism specialist. "Travelers from the Middle East are high contributors to French tourism, in terms of their liberal spending habits and long stays, and we believe that their share of the global outbound flows to our country is as yet not fully unlocked," said Karim Mekachera, director of Atout France, Near and Middle East office.