The contrast is amusing: on one side, the sad grayness of the Porte de Versailles (Paris, 15th arrondissement).
On the other, the thousand and one colors of the world which animate Pavilion 4 of the Exhibition Center, where the 47th World Tourism Fair is being held until this Sunday evening.
The high mass of the sector mixes cultures in a cosmopolitan hubbub.
The Mexican sombrero meets the Breton cap and the bush hat, a Creole restaurant faces a truffle counter, rum cocktails are distributed not far from a stand (the smallest costs 5,000 euros, we are told ) offering bottles of spirulina and another, tick tweezers... even nuns all dressed in black selling artisanal products from their monastery in Romania!
“
It's a bit like the Agricultural Show of the whole world here
,” summarizes a visitor to her husband as she passes in front of a stall of oriental pastries and mint tea.
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In any case, there is something for everyone, from a weekend in the Bay of Somme to an excursion to the Harar desert in Ethiopia.
The Show boasts 200 exhibitors for more than 400 destinations offered.
Among them, behemoths in the sector, logically expected: the Croatian or Moroccan Tourist Office, the Backpacker's Guide, MSC Cruises... But also, more marginal, or even downright original, tourist proposals.
Enough to inspire a new kind of vacation but also, for the most part, to tell about new travel habits of the French, who seem to be more and more likely to want to get closer to nature, to their well-being (physical as well as spiritual). ), to make a trip that makes ecological sense or simply makes sense.
Humanitarian or scientific trip
This is the case of the organization
Travel with a mission
(TWAM), a non-profit volunteering platform connecting “Twamers” who would like to share their skills (12 fields, ranging from law to archaeology) on time for a conference or a week-long trip with structures in demand;
whether it is to help preserve turtles in Costa Rica, support a teacher in teaching children's literacy in Benin or participate in the construction of a dispensary in India.
Another trend highlighted this year by the Show is “scientific tourism”.
With
Terra scientifica
, travelers can quench their thirst for knowledge with immersive experiences guided by experts from all fields, “
while directly contributing to scientific research and the preservation of nature
.”
Please note, a conference on Sunday at 3 p.m. on a participatory trip in the footsteps of bonobos in Congo, and 3 workshops (at 10:30 a.m., 2:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.) led at the stand by a paleontologist on the discovery of fossils.
This 47th edition is also marked by the attraction for “Slow Travel”, which often comes down to train travel.
Several agencies now offer to organize stays to travel across Europe on the rails.
“
Norway from bottom to top, to reach
Lapland
, is in high demand
,” representatives of
Railtrip.travel
tell us .
“
Just like Vienna,
accessible by night train from Paris
.
»
Shamans, knights and floating Airbnbs
If the major cruise lines are well represented at the Show, other more confidential proposals offer original trips on the waters.
This is the case with
Sentiers de la mer
, which offers “floating and itinerant guest rooms” aboard a sailboat.
The host in question becomes a “teammate” of the boat owner who, in love with his region, will take you ashore for a hike before meeting you at the port of arrival!
Return to the coast with the riders of the
Grand Chemin
who defend equestrian tourism.
Between Maine and Normandy, Jean-Yves Moche and his team coordinate long horse treks to discover the region.
One of them attracts attention: Lancelot's Clover, an “equestrian route for 21st century knights-errant” in the shape of a clover – the symbol of the brave knight.
Led by this regional historian with impressive erudition on the subject of Brittany, the walk promises to reveal to you all the latest secrets of Lancelot du Lac who, we are assured, is indeed French rather than English!
No need for a horse to enjoy the “reconnection trips” provided by
Deep Nature
.
Its founder, Marion Gléréan, evokes spiritual and holistic retreats which encourage the discovery of a territory through the “path of the sensitive”.
These routes are taken with inspiring personalities: animal trackers, a Siberian shaman in the Aine, a druid in Brittany…
Survival, silvotherapy and naturism
In terms of surprises, the presence of the
French Nudism Federation
at the Salon could surprise some.
“
For many people, nudism is a tourist activity
,” corrects Albert Richard, vice-president (clothed) of the federation, with 13,000 members.
“
France is the leading naturist tourist country
,” he adds.
In Île-de-France alone, activities range from hiking to pool diving to archery.
Next important event: the Pantin beach volleyball tournament, April 20.
In a more textile but equally “natural” genre,
sylvotherapist
Thierry Beaufort, author of the book
The Hidden Power of Trees
(Dauphin éditions) offers walks in Fontainebleau to discover the virtues of
Shinrin yoku
– or “forest bathing”.
Where we will learn about our protective tree: for a hiker born between June 25 and July 4, for example, it will be the apple tree.
Still under the sylvan vault,
Time on Target
provides survival courses.
The organization, which is a “survival expert for M6” (and supervises the programs
Wild
or
Beijing express
), teaches
bushcraft
– the art of the woods – to organize a camp and live like a trapper.
“
It ranges from a one-day course in the forest to learn how to light a fire or filter water to a trip to a private desert island in Indonesia
,” explains athletic survival instructor Adrien Andreotti.
“
Our customers range from 25 to 40 years old
,” he continues.
There are a few survivalists – of which we are not one – but above all fans of hiking...
"