Saint-Tropez, a popular luxury vacation destination for Hollywood celebrities, hopes to see more Asian tourists following a promotional event in Seoul on Tuesday.

The world-popular high-end vacation town with a population of just 5,000 draws more than 6 million tourists from 85 countries around the world each year. It became popular after French actress Brigitte Bardot acted in a movie there in the 1950s.

The vacation spot for Western tourists expects to attract more Korean tourists as direct flights between Incheon and Marseille by Korean Air will launch in April next year. Saint-Tropez is about an hour away by train from Nice, Cannes and Marseille.

“People look for authenticity of France in Saint-Tropez. It’s a beautiful small city without high-rise buildings. It has preserved the old provincial-style houses and pure forms of nature,” said Claude Maniscalco, director of Saint-Tropez Tourism, in a press briefing on Tuesday in Seoul.

Saint-Tropez is has a large number of five-star boutique hotels and more than 600 luxury brand shops. The town is one of the first places that luxury brands consider for showcasing their products due to the influx of wealthy tourists. According to Maniscalco, Porsche, Jaguar and Chanel have held product launching events in Saint-Tropez. It was also an inspirational town for Matisse, whose works are on display at the Annociade Museum. 

(wylee@heraldcorp.com)