Recently, the Hauts-de-France region in northern France hosted a promotional event in Shanghai, showcasing its comprehensive strengths as a destination for conferences, exhibitions, and incentive travel. The region boasts numerous distinctive castle venues and immersive experiential programs. Leveraging its prime location adjacent to Paris, it aims to attract more Chinese enterprises to host business events and incentive travel programs.
Wang Ruying, Head of Greater China for the Hauts-de-France Tourism Board, highlighted the region's proximity to Paris and its convenient connections to major European cities like Brussels, London, and Amsterdam. The region boasts over 2,900 historical sites and more than 40 UNESCO World Heritage attractions, including the three royal castles of Chantilly, Puy-en-Velay, and Compiègne, 20 castle hotels, and 50 castles equipped for hosting conferences, offering exceptionally rich resources for meetings and tourism.
Among these, the Château de Chantilly is hailed as “the perfect fusion of Versailles and the Louvre” and served as a filming location for Jackie Chan's movie The Twelve Zodiac. Beyond housing an extensive collection of classical paintings, it features a helipad capable of receiving VIPs arriving directly from Paris. The expansive grounds can host events for up to 2,000 guests, including gala dinners, new car launches, dragon boat races, archery competitions, and fireworks displays. Its royal stables are Europe's largest, breeding 60% of France's champion racehorses.
As the inspiration for Germany's Neuschwanstein Castle, Château de Pierrefonds consistently attracts film crews for location shoots. Beyond offering Chinese-language guided tours, it also hosts diverse corporate events. Notably, many private châteaux in Hauts-de-France arrange for the owner to personally welcome guests, providing distinctive services such as authentic French culinary experiences, French dining etiquette lessons, and champagne cannon salutes.
Lille, the regional capital, boasts a robust industrial foundation across multiple sectors.
As the regional capital, Lille is not only a “European Capital of Culture” and a “Global Design Capital,” but also the birthplace of General Charles de Gaulle. Its industrial strengths in automotive manufacturing, new energy, data technology, pharmaceuticals, and education provide a solid foundation for industry-specific exhibitions. The Lille Exhibition Center regularly hosts multiple specialized exhibitions, including the Rail Transport Technology Exhibition, which has attracted significant attention from Chinese enterprises. Teams preferring exclusive venue events can also choose distinctive locations such as the Lille Palais des Beaux-Arts, Opera House, museums, Chamber of Commerce, and Relais & Châteaux hotels. The region further offers immersive experiences like flying over the Somme River and classical music baths in the Forest of Compiègne.
Shanghai MICE travel agencies report a noticeable recovery in France's business travel market this year compared to last year. Clientele primarily comes from direct sales, insurance, information technology, beauty, and education sectors. Group sizes have expanded, with many ranging from 300 to 2,000 participants, averaging 5-6 days of stay. However, itineraries remain predominantly concentrated in Paris. Industry players believe the Hauts-de-France region, adjacent to Paris, possesses immense development potential with its diverse resources including seaside resorts and theme parks. Future efforts will focus on tapping into MICE tourism opportunities at venues like Chantilly and castle hotels.
Editor Ⅰ: Zhang Congxiao
Editor Ⅱ: Bao Gang
Editor Ⅲ: Liu Guosong
