The France Tourism Development Agency recently organised the very first edition of its dedicated luxury B2B showcase – France Excellence – in Mumbai from 11th to 13th November. A delegation of 13 key stakeholders representing the diversity of France’s luxury travel offering interacted with 50 members of the Indian travel trade fraternity over 2 days of pre-scheduled meetings. Over 600 meetings took place over these two days, enabling the buyers and exhibitors to establish connections and discuss business opportunities.
This first edition of the showcase commenced with a presentation for the delegation on the Indian luxury travel landscape and the ever-evolving profile of the Indian traveller and trends prevalent in the country. The presentation included a deep dive into the luxury travel personas and lent a cultural context to deepen the understanding of the affluent Indian globetrotter by Salil Deshpande, Head of Editorial Content at Condé Nast Traveller India, and Sheetal Munshaw, Director of Atout France India.
The opening dinner was held at the Pavillion by Quorum and commenced with a luxury travel panel, “Decoding Luxe à l’Indienne,” sharing expert insights by luxury connoisseurs across sectors, including Mr Anurag Tyagi-Christian Dior Couture, Ms Almona Bhatia-Tata Cliq, Mr Simon de Beauregard-Pernod Ricard India and Mr Sridhar Keppurengan-VISA.
Convivial networking amongst industry stakeholders and the French business community followed the knowledge session. Other highlights of the evening included astrologer Ms Sheetal Shaparia taking guests through an immersive wine reading session, followed by spirited conversations around Lillet cocktails by Pernod Ricard.
In addition to the pre-scheduled business meetings held at the Jio Convention Centre, the delegation made deeper connections through interactive team-building ateliers around mixology with sommelier Gagan Sharma and oenology with Master of Wine Sonal Holland that highlighted France’s areas of excellence through its savoir-faire in the domain. The showcase also included a select B2C media and influencer dinner at Indian Accent, pairing delectable Indian cuisine and sumptuous French wines.
Sharing her thoughts, Sheetal Munshaw said, “India is evolving, as is our strategy for the market over the last few years. Focusing on the luxury segment, encompassing the aspirational luxury seeker to the legacy luxury dweller, is a natural choice for France that resonates with this audience. In the post Covid era, we find more discerning travellers seeking authenticity and out of the ordinary experiences. A platform such as this brings key stakeholders from both sides together, culminating in stronger conversations and deeper connections. Having strategic partners from the luxury sector across segments lends a holistic and insightful perspective on consumer personas, consumer behaviour and expectations. The aim was to familiarise our ecosystem with the codes of Indian luxury and be better prepared to receive Indian guests and showcase French art de vivre. We will continue to create platforms that allow for these synergies and contribute to the incredible opportunity that India presents for France in the years to come.”