Are you French kissing enough?

Wednesday 03 June 2015

A Jersey travel firm is making sure Islanders visiting France don't short-change the locals.

Bontour It has been sharing a region by region guide on Facebook showing how many kisses on the cheek the French expect you to give them when you meet up.

The graphic, published by The French Embassy, shows that you need to give more kisses on the cheek to your French friends living around St Malo than you do the further south you go.

Bontour’s Reservation Advisor Sarah Boufi said: “In the big cities people are generally less generous with their kisses to fit around their busy life styles. For those in the provinces, you see their generosity increase and a welcoming leisurely 4 kisses becomes the norm!"

La bise - which translates as a quick kiss on the cheek - is one of the most common greetings for French friends and the team at Bontour say it's an important part of their culture and traditions.

Sarah said: “It’s something we learn from a young age and also a great way to break the ice. We are very welcoming people and love big get-togethers so greeting friends old and new is very important. French people also appreciate foreigners taking the time to learn their culture and “Faire la Bise” is a part of it.”

And Sarah and her colleagues are giving more than lip service to the custom - she said the team at Bontour are happy to give out pre-departure tips to anyone going across the water to make sure they don't come across as cheeky!