Travel agents and media were wined, dined and transported to France last night as Atout France wrapped up its Australian Normandy series with a suitably French finale at Sydney’s Hubert.
Normandy was the star of the evening, with 40 guests discovering a region that offers considerably more than its famous D-Day beaches, although its wartime history remains a powerful drawcard for Australian travellers.
Mr Sami Bouakaze, Deputy Consul-General, Consulate General of France in Sydney, welcomed guests, highlighting both the special place Normandy holds in the shared history of France and Australia and his country’s desire to encourage travellers to venture beyond Paris and discover more of its regions.
The evening celebrated those historical ties with presentations from AmaWaterways, Rail Europe, PONANT, Caen la Mer Tourism, the Caen Memorial Museum and Atout France, alongside fascinating insights from Australian battlefield historian Mat McLachlan.
Around 3,300 Australians took part in the D-Day landings of June 6, 1944, including almost 2,800 airmen and around 500 Royal Australian Navy sailors.
Today, Normandy’s beaches, cemeteries and memorials offer Australians a poignant opportunity to connect with that shared history and pass its stories to another generation.
And there’s a particularly interesting way to do just that in 2027.
AmaWaterways has partnered with Mat McLachlan Battlefield Tours to offer four special historical river cruises next year, combining the ease of river cruising with expert-led exploration of some of Europe’s most significant wartime sites.
The presentations also demonstrated just how accessible Normandy can be for Australian travellers, whether arriving by Rail Europe, exploring the region by river with AmaWaterways, or incorporating the French coast into a PONANT itinerary.
But history is only the beginning.
There’s the glamorous Côte Fleurie and seaside towns of Deauville and Trouville, Honfleur’s picturesque harbour, countryside and gardens, fishing villages and the landscapes and ever-changing light that famously inspired the Impressionists.
Then, of course, there’s the food.
Normandy is home to cider and Calvados, along with some of France’s most celebrated cheeses – Camembert, Pont-l’Évêque and Livarot among them.
At Hubert, it wasn’t difficult to persuade the room of Normandy’s gastronomic credentials.
France welcomed 102 million international visitors in 2025, generating a record €77.5 billion in international tourism revenue.
But, as Mr Bouakaze explained, the ambition now goes beyond simply attracting more visitors, with greater emphasis on encouraging travellers to discover France’s diverse regions and enjoy experiences that bring lasting value to the places and people they encounter.
After an evening of Normandy-inspired conversation, wine and wonderful French food, Paris may suddenly have a little competition.
