Great French escapes

VICTORIA-BASED Outdoor Travel is offering a two-for-the-price-of-one deal on seven-day hotel-barge cruises in France in October. M.S.Anacoluthe will head out from Paris to explore the rivers and canals of Picardy, stopping to visit Claude Monet's garden at Giverny and other sites made famous by his fellow impressionists. From $2735 for two people, a saving of $2735; flights extra. Includes guided sightseeing by coach and all on-board meals with wine. M.S.Anacoluthe is said to combine the comforts of a small ocean liner with the charm of a river steamer. It has a piano bar, exercise room and outdoor hot tub. More: 1800 331 582; www.outdoortravel.com.au.

Early discounts: Trafalgar has a 10 per cent discount on trips in its Europe and Britain 2009 Summer Preview brochure. Early bookings lock in the price plus there's an additional 5 per cent off for people who have not previously travelled with Trafalgar. Bookings must be made, with a $500 deposit, by the end of September. Options include the eight-day Treasures of France tour, usually from $2035, now from $1831, land only, a saving of more than $200. The trip explores the picturesque northwest of France, including Rouen, Bayeux, the D-Day landing beaches and Mont St Michel. Includes transport, airport transfers, sightseeing, breakfasts and some other meals. More: www.trafalgar.net.au/Europe.

New Travel Survey Finds French Tourists Are Booking The Most Hotel Rooms In The U.S.

With the euro and other foreign currencies trading favorably against the dollar, this summer is a good time for international tourists to visit the U.S. So who's coming to America?
Recently, Booking.com www.booking.com - the Amsterdam-based international online hotel reservation service that is part of priceline.com (PCLN:
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PCLN 100.82, -1.82, -1.8%) - surveyed over 10,000 U.S. hotel reservations made by international tourists for this summer to find out which countries were generating the most bookings to the U.S. Booking.com operates in over 65 countries around the world and offers its services in 18 languages.

Air France considers high-speed rail routes

Air France is holding talks about a joint venture that could see some of its short-haul flights switched to rail and increase competition for continental Europe's mainly state-owned high-speed train operators.

The move could mark the beginning of a decline in short-haul air travel on routes such as ParisFrankfurt, which now enjoy good high-speed rail links. High-speed rail has already nearly eliminated air travel on some European routes, such as Paris-Brussels.

The French flag carrier, part of Air France-KLM, is holding discussions with Paris-based Veolia Transport, part of the Veolia Environnement group.

Chinese tourists boycott France

They are the summer darlings of every top Parisian department store: Chinese tourists who save on hotel costs to lavish their savings on French fashion, perfume and designer labels they cannot buy at home.

But this year Paris's boutiques and tour firms have become the latest casualties of the diplomatic row surrounding the Olympic torch protests, as Chinese tourists boycott France as a holiday destination after warnings that it is unpatriotic.

Advice to Chinese tourists to stay away from France after pro-Tibet protests in Paris has been circulating on Chinese-language websites and has resulted in cancellations that tour operators in France say could lead to a 50% drop in business.