The new French revolution

The picturesque Burgundy region in France is a magnet to tourists the world over.

Ah, Burgundy. Picturesque vineyards, fine wine, superb food, romantic castles and tranquil canals. A magnet for tourists down the ages.

The problem, if you're a tourist - particularly a non-French speaking one - is that the French have rarely felt inclined to adapt to the needs of visitors. They provide what suits the French lifestyle and it is the visitors who are expected to adapt.

But these days not all tourists are prepared to accept quaint but dilapidated barns, lumpy mattresses, hand-held showers, non-foaming liquid soap and coarse pink lavatory paper.

Increasingly, their needs are being met not by the French but by a growing number of strangers from New Zealand, Australia and Britain who are providing services specifically for foreigners.

They are permanent residents, people in their 40s who have operated their own successful businesses elsewhere and want to carry that on in their new home.

They know about marketing, the need for customer satisfaction and how best to use IT for efficient communication and operations. What sets them apart is that they know how to make a French holiday more enjoyable for tourists who speak no French.

This is the continuation of a longstanding trend. Burgundy's vineyards were first cultivated by the Romans and the wine industry was refined in the 12th century by Cistercian monks.

Marketing the region's food and wine was started in the 14th century by Phillip the Bold, first Duke of Burgundy, and his sons.

Their success in romancing princesses from foreign lands - Marguerite of Flanders, for instance, and Isabel of Portugal - helped establish Burgundy as the pinnacle of fine wining and dining.

The latest outsiders to promote the region's charms are people like David and Lynne Hammond, an English couple who run Burgundy Discovery, which offers personal wine tours.

They're now into their fourth season of operations and, says David Hammond, "We have been amazed at the demand. Our clients come from all around the world. The common drawcard is that we conduct our conversations with them in English, and when we are visiting vineyard owners who speak only French, we translate."

The couple have been surprised at how many clients are vineyard owners from New Zealand, Australia and California. "Because the vineyards, wines and labelling here are relatively complex they use us to introduce themselves to the burgundian pinot noirs and chardonnays."

What gives the Hammonds an edge is that they understand the way their clients think.

For instance, they know most visitors from English-speaking countries will feel obliged, when tasting wines, to buy at least one bottle. To allow customers to discuss the wine freely, without the fear of possibly offending the winemaker, the Hammonds have organised for clients to go to a retail wine shop where they can buy the wines they like at vineyard prices.

They also recognise that visitors dining out in Burgundy will want the chance to sample the product for which the region is most famous. "We're happy to go that extra mile, quite literally, and pick people up and return them to their accommodation, whereas our competitors expect people to meet at a central point. This way our clients can drink and not worry about driving."

Over the years the Hammonds have developed a good relationship with restaurants and vineyards - a bonus for their customers. They tell the story of a New Zealand visitor who on leaving a cellar banged his head badly on the stone roof.

"Madame winegrower was quick on the scene with first-aid, while monsieur winegrower appeared rapidly with a bottle of burgundy premier cru red, clearly an allround cure for any ailment."

Another New Zealander, Bruce Leonard and his Australian wife, Anne, spent two years running a boutique bed and breakfast near Beaune but are now offering apartment-style self-catering accommodation.

Leonard says 98 per cent of their guests are English speakers.

"We know most of them are going to arrive after a long drive with their tongues hanging out for a cup of tea. So refreshments are made available to them at any time around the clock.

"We also know the second question asked by guests, particularly New Zealanders and Australians, is, 'Can we do some laundry?' So all three of our apartments contain washing machines."

The couple recognise that the French language will be a struggle for most visitors so they provide extensive notes on restaurants, things to see and do, driving directions, notes on wines and places to shop.

"We pass on little tips, like the fact that 'prix net' on a menu means a service charge has already been included."

They also make restaurant reservations, check or make onward accommodation bookings and help with rental-car needs.

Where possible the Leonards encourage links with French-born residents.

"For example," says Anne, "on any memorial observance day there is always a small ceremony at our village war memorial.

"After the speeches and laying of wreaths everyone is invited to the community hall for a 'vin de honneur'. We always take our guests to this event and introduce them to the mayor and residents."

The Leonards' business had its origins in a research trip they made five years ago looking at accommodation. They found a number of facilities that they considered sub-standard.

As a result, their accommodation, La Maison Chaudenay, offers comforts overseas travellers expect but frequently don't find in France.

These include private bathrooms with efficient showers and high-pressure water, large cakes of soap, soft lavatory paper, towels that have been washed with softening liquid, and top-class mattresses.

The apartments have private outdoor eating areas with barbecues. '

Another couple who are part of this quiet tourism revolution are Pam and Neil Aitken, from Scotland, who operate apartment-style and bed and breakfast accommodation near Gevrey-Chambertin in the heart of pinot noir country. Many of their English-speaking guests return regularly for holidays.

English couple Ben and Penny Martin have taken a different approach by developing an upmarket contemporary apartment in Beaune itself. It is one of few holiday rentals inside the old walls surrounding Beaune. Guests can walk to more than 90 restaurants and have ready access to the region's produce.

The Hammonds and Leonards, and others like them, have received valuable endorsements that they are on the right track.

Their clients have included New Zealand and Australian ambassadors, a former Lord Mayor of London, a former All Black captain, business executives from Prague, and World Health Organisation executives from Geneva.

Not quite in the league of Portugese royalty, perhaps, but testimony that Burgundy still has the seductive powers used so effectively by the Dukes of Burgundy so many centuries ago.