Think about it. It's pretty much a given that the city of Paris is the first thing on most people's minds around the world the moment France is brought up as a subject. Sure, some people would bring up cultural things, the food, the resorts, etc..

Considering how much of that society is centralized around one city, it pretty much unavoidable that Paris comes up eventually. To me, there are two places that are more interesting, the south of France, for its resorts, and Normandy, because of D-Day. If it weren't for the centralization, Paris would not be so different from Nantes, Bordeaux, Toulouse, Marseille, St. Etienne, Lens or Strasbourg. I doubt many in the world know that Tours was where the Islamists were stopped from advancing further in Western Europe or that Lourdes is where many Catholics pilgramage to for drinking the holy water. Perhaps the French tourism industry should advertise the places other than Paris and the Riviera.

Only if it is possible to discuss the UK without mentioning London!!

Seriously though I think most people from the UK at least don't go to Paris or the riviera on holiday, they go to parts of rural France such as Dordogne or the Loire Valley or Brittany or Normandy. These places are much cheaper and also less busy/stressful which is what many people want .

Out of six people in my office who have been to France this year on holiday not one has been to either Paris or the Riviera.

Most brits will go to Paris for a week end.
For far flung visitors, i guess Paris is a starter pack that'll make them wanting more on a future visit.
Paris is the baiting. The rest is the real catch.But it comes at the price of a second visit. I believe London works in a similar way for those who flew in from a far away country.

As far as tourism is concerned, the provinces are not ignored at all according to statistics.

As far as this forum is concerned, the provinces are more talked about than they use to, thanks to forumers in the regions and the slight change of focus from Paris they imposed. The more balanced the the better.

I doubt many in the world know that Tours was where the Islamists were stopped from advancing further in Western Europe .


Well, dude that's a large mistake. The battle of Tours hasn't stopped the muslim invasion. The battle between the Mayor of the Palace (Charles Martel) and the King of Cordou (Abd al-Rahman al-Ghafiqi) wasn't a battle for invasion but against a raiding party. They didn't came to invade but to punish Aquitaine (the real one, getting for the atlantic to the mediteranean) for its support to the Kingdom of Catalonia (Othman ibn Naissa) against the one of Cordou. They destroyed Bordeaux but didn't took it.

The muslim invasion were stopped at the battle of Toulouse against Odo of Aquitaine and the Wali of Andalous (al-Samh ibn Malik al-Khawlani) who sent the armies of Spain, North Africa, Yemen (Yemen+Oman+Saudi Arabia+Qatar+United Arabs Emirates) and Syria (Syria+Lebanon+Palestine+Eastern Turkey+Iraq) and was defeated and killed after a 3 months siege..........

It confort your post that there is a serious lack of history knowledge outside France about the history (and in France cause I'm sure many French didn't even heared of the Kingdom of Aquitaine and that there was an Aquitaine outside the Duchy controled by England).

Brief answer: No.

La capitale is just way too prominent to be left out.

If it weren't for the centralization, Paris would not be so different from Nantes, Bordeaux, Toulouse, Marseille, St. Etienne, Lens or Strasbourg.

Saint Etienne ... Lens ... ??

Funny that you mention those names. I guess thanks to their football team. Well huh.. don't go there.

I agree with Whose Homepage, it seems hard to talk about France without a word about Paris.

Saint Etienne ... Lens ... ??

Funny that you mention those names. I guess thanks to their football team. Well huh.. don't go there.
How about Istres? :lol: