MEMBERS of a farm accommodation group in West Devon are being encouraged to brush up their French in a bid to attract our Gallic neighbours to the county.

The group, Devon Farms Accommodation, has discovered that potential French visitors to the county are worried about having to speak English.

The problem came to light when Devon Farms members Jackie Payne and Lindy Head manned a stand at a three-day tourism fair in the Normandy city of Caen.

The two women ?sold? Devon to the 13,000 visitors who streamed through the doors of the fair.

Said Jackie: ?We didn?t stop from 10am until 7pm every day. But the interest was overwhelming ? all our 1,100 brochures went, as did the other brochures we brought detailing various aspects of Devon, including 200 copies of the Cornwall and Devon Holiday Directory.?

The two were struck by the questions asked: What is the exchange rate? Where is Devon? How do you get there?

And they said the most striking point was the number of visitors to the stand who were interested in visiting Devon but were worried about having to speak English.

?There is little doubt that a potentially large market for farm and other accommodation in Devon exists in the Calvados region of France, but we are not yet sufficiently ?user-friendly? to attract this market.?

Devon Farms says that given the close proximity of Normandy and the size of its population, it makes sense for tourism organisations in the South West to try and attract more French visitors through translations of tourism literature and by increasing the pool of French-speaking tourism operators.

Devon Farms Accommodation is trying to put together a joint project with other European partners, one aspect of which will be language courses.

The English account for more than half of all overseas visitors to Normandy. The last survey by Devon Farms members shows that the French represent only 8% of overseas visitors to Devon.

Devon Farms is a

co-operative of more than 120 farms offering B&B and/or self-catering accommodation.

Local members include Knole Farm, Little Bidlake and Week Farm at Bridestowe; Hele Farm, Rubbytown Farm and Colcharton Farm at Gulworthy; Beera Farm, Milton Abbot; The Cider House, Lifton, and Eggworthy Farm, Sampford Spiney.