French President François Hollande bestows prestigious ‘Ordre
National du Mérite’ on Zubin Karkaria
The distinction recognises Mr Karkaria’s long-standing contribution in developing travel and tourism
to France from across the globe, and acknowledges the role played by VFS Global
HE Mr Alexandre Ziegler, Ambassador of France to India, confers on Mr Zubin Karkaria, CEO, VFS Global, the Chevalier de l’Ordre National
du Mérite (Knight of the National Order of Merit) on behalf of the President of the French Republic François Hollande, in Mumbai, on
02 December 2016.
08
At a ceremony held in Mumbai, India, Zubin Karkaria,
CEO – VFS Global, and CEO – Kuoni Group, was
appointed ‘Chevalier de l’Ordre National du Mérite’
(Knight of the National Order of Merit) by the President
of the French Republic, François Hollande. The
prestigious French award was conferred on
Mr Karkaria by HE Mr Alexandre Ziegler, Ambassador of
France to India, on behalf of President Hollande on
02 December 2016.
This French Government distinction was instituted in
1963 by General Charles de Gaulle. It is awarded for
distinguished services rendered in public, civil, military
posts, or a private profession.
Acknowledging Mr Karkaria’s role in the increased
inbound tourism into France and highlighting his
achievements, HE Mr Alexandre Ziegler, said, “France
is proud to be the top global tourist destination, as well
as a fast-growing destination for the Indian traveller.
Over 500,000 Indian visitors chose France last year
and we want to welcome many more. It is an honour to
confer the Ordre National du Mérite on Mr Karkaria who
played a stellar role in this success in conceiving the
visa facilitation system and promoting France as a travel
destination, thus contributing to developing people-to-
people contacts between France and India.”
Commenting on the recognition, Mr Karkaria said, “I am
deeply honoured and humbled to be judged worthy of
receiving this recognition from the Honourable President
of France. I have always believed in the enormous
potential France has as a destination, and over the
years, it has been my privilege to work with Atout
France, France’s Tourism Development agency, and
many other stakeholders from the travel fraternity in
promoting and facilitating travel to this beautiful country.
I am grateful to the Government of France and Atout
France for the trust they have placed in the Kuoni Group
and in VFS Global, and of course, to all our employees
1.2
GLOBAL
