Travel Agents Cup Junior: finalists and scenarios unveiled. Final on 4 October at IFTM Top Resa!

Over a hundred hopefuls entered IFTM Top Resa’s Travel Agents Cup Junior by answering ten questions in our online quiz. The list of 10 finalists selected for this second edition has just been released.
These tourism students have been given 5 travel scenarios that they will use to create customised products tailored to one of the exhibitor destinations from the trade show’s “Destination France” area. 
Their teachers are also fully invested in the competition. 
The Travel Agents Cup Junior was launched by IFTM Top Resa and its partner, the French Federation of Tourism Technicians and Scientists (FFTST), and is one of the highlights of the trade show. It provides a relaxed setting for students to talk to partners in order to promote their destinations in a fun way, and confirms the organisers’ desire to provide a platform for up-and-coming professionals.
Join us at 10:30am on 4 October in the IFTM ARENA for the big final!
 
Students and teachers up to the challenge

Taking part in the TAC Junior competition provides teachers with a real learning tool. Students are given the opportunity to put various skills into practice, like understanding what the customer wants and their constraints, researching a destination and identifying all it has to offer, and using sales techniques to convince the buyer, in this case the panel of judges. It’s a real professional exercise for these future travel technicians. The selected scenarios are studied in class, with each group working on a different subject, which they then present to the other students. At the Institut des Métiers de l’Enseignement Supérieur in Nantes (IMS Nantes), the teachers and entire class take part in TAC JR!  

The 10 finalists

Sébastien Billard (BTS in tourism – IMS Nantes), Lucas Blanc (BTS in tourism – IEFT Lyon), Eva Cartry (BTS in tourism – Ozanam Mâcon), Capucine Courouble (1st year of BTS in tourism – IEFT Lyon), Charline Duré (BTS in tourism – IMS Nantes), Elliot Gué (BTS tourisme – IMS Nantes), Clarisse Kervégant (BTS in tourism – Lycée Toulouse-Lautrec Albi), Nolwenn Mestres (BTS in tourism – IMS Nantes), Xoang Petra (BTS in tourism – Lycée de Bellevue Fort-de-France), Camille Simon (Bachelor’s with a major in Travel – ESCAET Aix-en-Provence).
 

5 travel scenarios in France in 4 minutes flat

 

The contestants will prepare to present one of five scenarios selected at random on the day of the final. These born competitors will need all their concentration skills and a healthy dose of adrenaline to find the perfect activity or ideal trip to win over the panel of judges and the audience in just four minutes!
• Weekend outdoors near Orléans: a family with 2 children, aged 8 and 10, want to enjoy the region around Orléans and go hiking, bike riding or boating. They’ll be travelling by train. 3 days (Friday to Sunday) in June, €700 for four, departing from Paris. 
• New Year’s in the mountains in the Hautes-Alpes region: two couples in their fifties have decided to celebrate New Year’s together at a ski resort in the Hautes Alpes to enjoy winter sports and relax. Access to a spa is therefore a must. One week during the Christmas holidays, €3000 to €4000 per couple, departing from Toulouse.
• Cultural getaway in Amiens: a young couple of students, one of whom is hearing impaired, plan to spend a few days in Amiens to discover the region’s culture. 2 days in September, €300 per person, excluding transport, departing from Clermont-Ferrand.
• Soaking up the sun in the French Riviera: a group of six young retirees would like to take a group coach tour to discover the French Riviera and its islands before the tourist season starts. 8 days in April/May, €750 per person, departing from Metz.
• Holidays with friends in the Val de Loire region: Five childhood friends, aged 23 to 25 have chosen Touraine and the Loir-et-Cher to discover the region’s history in a fun and unique way. They don’t have a vehicle and will need a car. 3 days in late September/early October, €350 per person, departing from Lille.

 

5 trips will be awarded for the best travel scenarios!
 
On the day of the final, five prizes will be awarded at the trade show:
• The jury will select the 3 “Best up-and-coming salespersons for Destination France”.
• 1 prize will be awarded live for “Audience Favourite”.
• 1 “Random draw” prize awarded to one of the contestants present. 
Each winner will receive a trip for 2 people in France (mainland or overseas) worth at least €1,000, with accommodation and transportation included.
Panel of judges
• Sophie Jovillard, Jury Chair and host of Échappées Belles on France 5,
• Well-known figures from IFTM Top Resa, FFTST, Entreprises du Voyage, Atout France, SNCF, Avis, Carrefour Voyages, exhibitors from Destination France and France’s Association of Tourism Journalists (AJT).
• The winner of the 2018 Travel Agents Cup: Arnaud Levet (Verdié Voyages).
Competitors will be scored on the following criteria: stage presence (smile, composure, elocution, energy, use of the stage space), coverage of the subject (knowledge of and knowledge of the destination, structure of the presentation, originality, etc.) and time management.
 
A great way to open up the door to job opportunities
 
According to Léna Martinet, winner of the first TAC Junior in 2018,”Winning best up-and-coming salesperson for Destination France helped me easily find internships and even a job. For recruiters, the title shows that a candidate is bold and comfortable in front of an audience (…). Competing in TAC Junior and winning the award in Paris at the international IFTM Top Resa trade show, with the encouragement of my teacher and the entire class, is an amazing memory!”

 

TAC Junior 2019 regulations
TAC 2019 launch press release
List of 2018 winners, photos and videos