France Lures More Tourists With Wine Tours

France wants to develop wine tours in its countryside as part of a series of measures aimed at boosting tourism and retaining the country's position as the top destination in the world.

France's foreign affairs minister, Laurent Fabius, set Thursday a target of 100 million foreign tourists per year by 2020, up from 84 million now.

"Tourism is a national treasure," he told a news conference. "Wine is an important sector to attract foreign customers in our beautiful wine-growing regions that are still under-visited: Bordeaux, Bourgogne, Languedoc, Rhone, Champagne, etc."

Fabius announced the creation of a state-owned investment fund that would, among other things, help finance tourist facilities in vineyard areas.

In the same spirit, the government vowed to boost river and sea cruises and to invest in shore areas, ports, and waterways. It will also support events promoting France's gastronomy.

France plans to extend its 48-hours visa process system - already applied for China- to Turkey, Singapore and Indonesia by the end of the year.

To make life easier for tourists in Paris, authorities want to launch next year a new "city pass" that would give access to both the metro and museums not only in the capital, but also in its surroundings - including the Palace of Versailles and the airports.

It would replace the current complex system of metro tickets with different prices depending on the distance from the city center.