While the job of a travel blogger often rhymes with long-haul flights and explorations on the other side of the world, the tourist offices of French destinations are not to be outdone in their collaborations, whether in terms of content creation (photos, videos), article writing or travel influencer missions.
Today, more than ever in the context of the health crisis, French destinations have a card to play with travelers.
Now is the time to develop their reputation, engage their communities, and attract new travelers to their territory.
While we don’t know where this crisis will take us in a few months’ time, it’s a safe bet that the French will certainly be choosing destinations close to home, in their own country.
Whether it’s for safety reasons, to support the local community, for economic reasons or for the sake of the environment, there are many reasons to do so.
And at a time when social networks are more consulted than ever, there’s plenty of space to awaken interest through original operations, build community loyalty and refine your editorial line.
So why collaborate with a travel blogger on a French destination?
And how?
Some bloggers have long since made the choice to highlight destinations close to home.
By creating content, feeding a photo library and producing videos, they embody the values and assets of these destinations, and convey to the public the main thrusts of their communications, whether annual, one-off or even crisis-driven.
Benoit and Pauline, from the blog Worldelse, are regularly commissioned by Tourist Offices and travel all over France to create content.
Travel Insight: How would you define your job?
Pauline and Benoît: It’s very difficult to define our business in a single word, because it’s so comprehensive.
In fact, we like to say that we’re like the Swiss army knives of digital communication, because we do the work of a videographer, a photographer, a copywriter, a manager of all kinds, an accountant and so on!
But the word ” Content Creator ” is the one that, I think, best defines our profession today.
We’ve been doing this for almost 5 years now, producing content for brands and/or tourist offices in the travel sector, but sometimes our role is also to support them in their communication strategy…
You were commissioned by us in the Côte d’Or, what was the assignment?
The aim was simple: to introduce visitors to the department and show that Burgundy isn’t just about grands crus, snails and Dijon mustard.
We also wanted to show that Burgundy could also be an attractive destination for 20-40 year-olds.
Over the course of a week, we took our van on a tour of the Côte d’Or and the neighboring departments that make up Burgundy, discovering the region’s natural and cultural heritage.
All these discoveries were shared on our networks.
A video and an article were also created to share our stay.
In the end, 3 départements joined forces to develop this project. Can you tell us why and what are the advantages of this kind of collaboration between territories?
In addition to the undeniable financial benefits for the departments, the main advantage of such collaboration is that it creates unity.
To join forces to communicate the same values for ONE territory.
Unfortunately, in France, many territories play elbows and wage political wars with each other, which is a pity for tourism, because the average tourist doesn’t pay much attention to all this when he goes on vacation.
That’s why, in my opinion, union is THE best way of creating beautiful things and inviting Internet users to discover the riches of a region.
In our case, this union enabled us to discover completely different corners of the world, sometimes even the opposite.
We discovered a wealth of culture, nature and know-how that we’d never imagined existed in this part of France.
Has this opened up new prospects in France?
During our week in Burgundy, the team and I decided to (also) promote the slow-travel road trip side of France.
It was a first for us and the feedback was very good.
It’s true that a vintage van symbolizes escape and authenticity, as well as being photogenic, so it was ideal for this trip.
After the trip, several tourist offices asked us to take him on board, as he was completely hooked on this way of traveling.
The only small hitch was that our van doesn’t drive fast, so we had to adjust our schedules (after our timing mishaps in Burgundy) so as not to lose too much time on the roads, the aim being above all to explore J
You’ve traveled to several regions in France. Do you have a favorite destination to recommend this year?
Yes, it’s true that since 2016 we’ve been on one mission to France after another.
We’ve discovered our country like never before.
Discovered little corners, good addresses and, above all, met some incredible people!
Among them, the Côte d’Azur, Berry, the English Channel, Burgundy (so), the Vosges, Corrèze, the Somme, Loire Atlantique, the Loire Valley, the Pyrenees and I’m sure I’m forgetting too many.
It’s hard to choose among all these corners, because they’re all so different, surprisingly or not.
France is so rich in diversity that we’ve never seen similar landscapes or corners.
However, despite our favorites, I think the Manche, Corrèze and Somme are in the Top 3…although the Vosges was also very nice. In short, you’ve got it – YOU MUST DISCOVER FRANCE!
Come on, if I had to choose one, I’d say Corrèze for this year.
For its wide-open spaces, often deserted or forgotten by tourists, and for its nature, which enchanted us!
What’s the next mission in France for you?
Or perhaps the one you’ve been dreaming of?
Last year, during a 45-day mission, we criss-crossed France to produce content for 19 French towns classified as Remarkable Sites & Cities.
During this great journey, we passed through the Gers region, discovering Lectoure.
Unfortunately, Lectoure was the only town in the department, which I have to admit left us a little disappointed, because we were really hooked!
The Gers (from what we saw) looks like Tuscany.
It was truly magnificent, and for the few kilometers we drove in this department, we were really out of our element!
Since then, we’ve been dreaming of going back and discovering more of the department.
Who knows?
Maybe, with a bit of luck, our next assignment will be there J
More than ever, France seems to be the right territory to exploit the favorite themes of French travelers.
Family roadtrips, microadventures close to home, reconnecting with nature.
It’s also the desire for a slower, more eco-responsible form of tourism, with a focus on encounters, people and culture, be it heritage, crafts, gastronomy or traditions.
