Sitca, tourism is fully booked in Nice

There was a fragrance of pleasant idleness in the salon, so conducive to relaxation and well-being. At each aisle, a new country. African Continent, India, Italy, Austria, Northern Europe, Russia and, why not, sweet France… Discovery after discovery, visitors were left dizzy. And spoiled for choice. There was something for all tastes: sea, sun, mountains… And for all budgets.

Each professional presented their destination with passion. “Come taste the chocolate from Sao Tomé!” Sao Tomé and Príncipe more precisely, under the equatorial sun, in the Gulf of Guinea… A nature escape in an archipelago with the appetizing nickname of “Chocolate Island”. This former Portuguese colony had its heyday in 1913. Then the world’s leading chocolate producer, it now produces 4,000 tons of fine dark chocolate. Full-bodied, smooth, surprising, indulgent… No need to look for it in supermarkets. It is distributed only in specialist shops by Pierre Cluizel. There remain on the island 1,200 planters who produce one of the finest chocolates in the world in a paradise in the heart of volcanoes. Far from mass tourism, the Chocolate Archipelago offers a haven of peace for lovers of mountain walks and lazing under coconut trees.

Facing it, India unfolds its colorful sari. The new giant has in turn launched into mass tourism, with the “Incredible India” agency which has managed to seduce the French. “The percentage of French visitors increases by 14% every year, which propels France to first place in terms of tourism in our country,” says Uttank Joshi, the promotion service manager. The secret? A savory and deeply authentic offer. Singular India proposes rural getaways. Even today, 77% of its population lives at the foot of the Himalayan mountains in the north, on the threshold of the jungle in the south and in the mirages of the desert in the west… India is also one of the rare countries in the world where so many ethnicities, beliefs, cultures and traditions coexist on the same lands. In cities, medical tourism is emerging. On average 4,000 euros and a plane ticket to regenerate body and mind in a medical center that introduces the mysteries of Indian beauty: yoga, herbal therapy, massage…

Far from tropical heat, Austria. Here, there is a vacation club unlike any other. Its name is “Magic Mountains”, its specialty: offering every traveler international cohabitation in the most romantic of Tyrolean alpine villages. At 1,350 meters altitude, on the edge of Lake Zauchensee, this club-village realizes the hippie dream of communal living. In a multilingual environment, all ages mix, discover together, or alone, mountain activities with animators. They rest. Share friendly meals… “The idea is to introduce people to international exchange. And to encourage children. Here, they see how important it is to speak other languages,” insists Sandrine Kleinicke, the co-director of Magic Mountain. From 279 euros per person per week for over 14 years, and free for children.

Long drowned in an offer of individual travel that seemed more fun, the cruise is resurfacing. Once reserved for senior clubs, it has reinvented itself and revised its rates downward. The cruise is today a hotel-club, with an increasing variety of activities for a decent price. It seems to be seducing the gilded youth looking for all-inclusive stopovers. “We have young people on board aged 20 to 25, never seen before!” says Christina, the agent at Thomas Cook. Cruising is thus becoming more democratic. For 900 euros, the promise of a trip around the Mediterranean, far from daily worries.

Traveling in winter has become fashionable. Victims of their own success, agencies and other tour operators are fully booked. Except for the Egypt destination, shunned by French tourists who always want more exoticism.

**Don’t miss:**

www.sao-tome.st

www.magicmountains.at

**Event website:**

https://www.sitca.fr/