Veteran Springboks, Victor Matfield, John Smit and Joel Stransky mingled with representatives from the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur tourism region, an important and popular destination for South Africans and members of the South African travel industry.
All were guests at the residence of the Ambassador of France to South Africa, Aurélien Lechevallier, on Monday May 30.
The goal was to kick off the promotion of Rugby World Cup, which will be hosted by France from September 8 to October 28, along with all the unmissable travel opportunities it offers in the region of Provence-Alpe- Côte d’Azur for South African Rugby enthusiasts to sample a lot more than just Rugby. The region is a major host region for the World Cup.
Workshops are being held with 250 tour operators and travel agents this week across Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban to discuss opportunities for travel with the aim of increasing the number of visitors to France from South Africa.
The Springbok Rugby Team will be staying in Toulon in southern France for the duration of their matches next year. This too is in the region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, which will host 10 of the 48 Rugby World Cup matches and is home to host cities Marseille and Nice.