Between fiction and reality, explore France in the footsteps of Netflix heroes!

Atout France is an operator of the French government created to develop tourism in France. In addition to promoting tourism, its scope ranges from observation to forecasting, and operations and events planning. In line with this spirit, Atout France develops “tourism experiences” with all French and international tourism players for the tourists of today and tomorrow.

Shedding the light on another type of France

In terms of tourism experience, the Voyage en France project offers a truly original experience: about a dozen travel guides inspired from iconic locations present in Netflix productions. And Atout France highlights that Netflix frequently stages France as a character in its French or international productions shot in France.

A study from studies institute Basis and commented by Atout France shows that “broadcasting these films and series improves France’s cultural and tourism attractiveness”. The was carried out to American, Japanese and German viewers, and it reveals that viewers “who watched French shows on Netflix are three times more likely to name France as their number one travel destination”. More precisely, viewers who watched these films and series “will be more inclined to explore French culture by continuing the experience in their own way”, since:

• 63% want to visit onsite the cultural sites and monuments seen on screen;
• 61% want to try French food specialities;
• 58% want to discover the French cities staged in fictions.

In short, about a person out of two who have watched a series or a French film on Netflix declares to “have a more positive image of the country”. And the same goes for French language, since viewers who watched productions in French “are 3.5 times more likely to want to learn to speak French than viewers who have not been exposed to these programmes”. And Atout France concludes by saying that by reaching audiences who wouldn’t necessarily have had access to French productions, “Netflix enables people to discover France differently”.

Immersive experience

In the wake of this analysis, Netflix and Atout France have signed a letter of commitment to improve even more the attractiveness of France. An advertising campaign entitled “There’s Always more to Imagine about France”, was launched with the creation of a digital guide accessible online, Voyage en France, to offer viewers a way to discover France in the footsteps of films and series heroes.

The idea is to offer amateurs of these programmes “an immersive experience by offering to travel all over France in the footsteps of their heroes”, a travel based on about a dozen “themed travel guides” inspired from iconic locations.

Exclusive travel guides

For now, the online guides available offer a dozen themed itineraries, but also a customised guide generator and a selection of over 70 locations linked to iconic films and series using an interactive map. But this is just the beginning!

Here’s a short selection of travel guides:

The France of Emily’s dream guide

This iconic guide follows in the footsteps of Emily in Paris. According to Netflix, “when Emily arrived in Paris, all she wanted to do was to discover what French life was all about. And a few seasons later, we can say she pretty much succeeded!”. In this series, viewers are invited to follow a heroine who has travelled extensively in France, not only in Parisian sites, but also Provence and the Côte d’Azur!

Sporting France guide

Aimed at “thrill-seekers”, this guide takes viewers to a number of legendary locations illustrating a number of disciplines: sports driving on the Le Mans 24-hour race circuit, cycling on the jagged slopes of the Galibier or surfing on the legendary waves of Biarritz.

A walk in France guide

While Netflix productions are often set in an urban environment, the heroes often venture “far from the ring road”, and here they showcase “unmissable French landscapes”, both natural and architectural. Similarly, the guide In the Wild nature travels far from the capital, taking viewers “to settings that are still relatively unknown to aficionados of French TV series”;

Marseille with friends guide

“No trip around France is complete without visiting its sunnier, southern metropole!”. And Netflix doesn’t forget that with a colourful and happy weekend among friends in Marseille. In the same spirit, the Sunny weekend in the South guide offers a trip to the South of France, “a fascinating cinematographic location”;

Gourmet France guide

As Netflix again writes, “What would a guide to exploring France be without go-to addresses for the finest of French cuisine?”. The heroes of Netflix like to “eat, and eat well”!  The guide features a number of dining venues “from all four corners of France”.

Explore more: 

- Press release from Atout France