Conférences et Salons

🏀 Hôtels Barrière partners with Lagardère Paris Racing to launch Échappées Sportives, a sports retreat at L'Hermitage in La Baule, set for spring 2025. The program offers yoga, padel, fitness, and tennis retreats from April 13 to 25, 2025, including coaching, relaxation sessions, cooking classes, water sports, and cycling. Aimed at families with Kid’s Club activities, it reinforces Barrière's commitment to sports and wellness. The Barrière Group, led by Joy Desseigne-Barrière and Alexandre Barrière, founded in 1912, now comprises 32 casinos, 1 gaming club, 19 luxury hotels, and over 150 restaurants and bars, including the renowned Fouquet’s.

🏨 Stefan Ludwig appointed as General Manager of The Mansard, part of Miiro hotel group since December 2024. Ludwig, with 26 years of experience and a career with Ritz-Carlton, Kempinski, Fairmont, and Almanac Hotels, takes over on April 1, 2025. Previously, he enhanced sales, marketing, and product launches at Gstaad Palace. His new role aims to solidify The Mansard as a premier luxury destination in Gstaad, supporting Miiro's brand expansion. Martin Bieri will hand over responsibilities on April 1, 2025.

🏖️ During 2023/24, Salzburg welcomed 8,039,706 tourists, with Vienna close behind at 8,033,621 arrivals. Austria's tourism sector thrived due to a developed hospitality infrastructure, increased air passenger traffic, and diverse accommodation options, impacting hotel performance metrics like RevPAR, occupancy, and ADR.

🏦 On March 7, 2025, the Belles Rives Hotel will reopen and celebrate the centenary of F. Scott Fitzgerald's "Tender Is the Night" and the 100th anniversary of "The Great Gatsby," published April 10, 1925. The event marks a century since F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald's stay on the French Riviera, which influenced their lives and the "Lost Generation" legend.

🍴 In 2025, Mandarin Oriental, Paris will launch "Les Semaines Culinaires" at the Sur Mesure restaurant, featuring starred chefs from around the world. Confirmed chefs include Italian Antonio Guida, with 3 Michelin stars from Mandarin Oriental hotels in Milan and Zurich, and French Michelin-starred Fréderic Doucet, owner of Maison Doucet in Charolles, offering modern cuisine with local Charolais products. This event promises a unique gastronomic experience blending culinary art with exceptional service.

🎉 The 50th edition of Salon international BISOU took place from January 11 to 13, 2025, at Parc Chanot in Marseille, boasting 13,000 m² of exhibition space. This key event for professionals welcomed thousands of buyers and nearly 160 suppliers in the gift, decoration, souvenir, and ready-to-wear sectors. The salon is a vital platform for discovering and ordering summer products, featuring a broad array of items from both French and international manufacturers, showcasing new products and setting trends across various industries.

🍺 Ink & Beer Chartres: First tattoo and craft beer event in Chartres from April 11-13, 2025, at Collégiale Saint-André. The festival offers a mix of tattoo artistry, brewing craft, and music in a historic venue. Features include a participative giant fresco for visitors' messages and art. Notable participants include MAB, a tattooist and painter exhibited at the Louvre, and Brasserie L'Amik'Ale providing specially brewed beers. Independent bookstore BD Flash will offer reading space and exclusive collections.

🏖 Destination Canada introduces a Tourism Prosperity and Well-being Index, analyzing the sector’s benefits beyond traditional metrics. This tool incorporates data from over 100 sources and 30 indicators across 6 categories to demonstrate how tourism supports communities, preserves culture, protects natural resources, and drives economic growth, aiming to enhance local economies and Canada’s global competitiveness.

🏖️ Exclusive hotels from Vietnam to Panama, including Italy and Portugal, offer villas with private beaches, renovated historic homes, and country houses among vineyards, promising simple pleasures and authentic experiences. The Zannier group's latest resort, Bãi San Hô, is in a non-touristy Vietnamese province, emphasizing local culture immersion. SOWK Resort in Thailand, an all-inclusive with numerous immersive activities, keeps its exact location on Koh Phangan secret while being close to well-known resorts and beaches.

🏕 Gîtes de France reports a +1% increase in winter holiday bookings compared to 2024, with a 62% average occupancy rate for mountain destinations. Last-minute bookings surged by +4 points in one week. Peak occupancy rates were observed as follows: 67% in Zone B (8-15 Feb), 68% in Zones B+C (15-22 Feb), 62% in Zones C+A (22 Feb - 1 Mar), and 52% in Zone A (1-8 Mar). The top 5 mountain destinations were Savoie (86%), Haute-Savoie (80%), Hautes-Alpes (69%), Lozère (68%), and Alpes-Maritimes (66%).