Since April 1st, a tourism cat association has appeared on Facebook... Members all have improbable nicknames and cat profile photos. Tourism professionals seem to hide behind these tomcat heads but remain anonymous. To find out more, we interviewed "Pépette Pincefesse", their press officer. She answered us with a very feline humour...
What is the purpose of this association of tourist cats?
P.P.:" After a recent survey announcing that we were now replacing our friend the dog in French homes and following the last edition of the Mondial du Tourisme in Paris, we realized that there was no cat association in tourism..
I might as well tell you that the disappointment was great. It is therefore in response to this situation that we decided to create the association Associated Cats of Tourism on April 1, 2019, in order to defend by ourselves, our interests, in complete independence in accordance with our character! Nothing to do with our canine friends who confine themselves to following their masters stupidly or are content to go for walks with a dog-sitter. »
Why did you choose the cat as a symbol?
P.P.: "Simply because we are cats and proud to be cats! You claim to be a fox, don't you? »
How many members do you have and who is hiding behind these different cats?P.P.: "To date, we have more than 300 "fans" who have joined us and who, little by little, are in turn displayed through dedicated portraits on our Facebook page
As you may have noticed, we are beginning to have foreign correspondents such as Louis, based in Berlin; community sympathizers such as Mounette, strongly involved in the LGBTQI community; travel agents such as Lola or hotel and restaurant professionals such as Baloo, etc.
As for the names of the founders of our association, they are Toupie, Chat-Mallow and Chafouin(e) DeLuxe (all 3 LOF). The latter do not wish to reveal more to remain at peace and quietly enjoy the buttock clamps and other feline-tourist happenings. But you will of course have understood that they are no strangers to the world of Tourism where they evolve internationally with, not to hide from you, a certain power of persuasion. »
How will you develop the association?
P.P.: "By September 2019, we aim to have more members than any other professional tourism association in France. Here we go, the diversity of our first representative members (heritage guide, travel agent, festive place physiognomist, holiday club animator, luxury hotel testers, high mountain guide...) of so many different tourism sectors maintains this hope. We are intrinsically the association that federates the most. »
