GOVERNMENT EDICT.
January 1, 2001: Incentive travel planners be warned! Due to a restricting of the global economy, all foreign travel is to be banned from tomorrow.
Shock! Horror! Nightmare! What is a good incentive planner to do? Only one day to plan an exciting trip! Where should he take his lucky group? Which destination was he always meaning to visit but never quite managed? Which did he enjoy so much that he always meant to go back? Which will he miss the most? France would have to be very near the top of any shortlist made up in such dramatic circumstances for two obvious reasons: it has spectacular facilities and, even better, it has an inexhaustible supply of them.
Many other destinations have at least a few brilliant attractions, perhaps even enough to fill a week-long programme.
But they can't match France for richness and diversity.
It's a country with thousands of choice alternatives in every corner.
Although a large country, it is so packed with opportunities that every region, city, even small towns, have something special and distinctive to offer.
Anyone uncertain which to choose needn't worry.
They should just pick a spot and go - there is sure to be enough within a few miles to incentivise even the most experienced travellers.
The extraordinary selection begins with the staples: with food, drink and lodging.
France is still generally acknowledged as the culinary capital of the world.
There are other countries with fine cuisine styles and fabulous restaurants.
But it takes more than that to sustain an inventive incentive programme.
It requires tradition, a desire for perfection, a painstaking attention to detail, sumptuous venues, the most passionate of chefs - and France has all of that, in prodigious abundance.
Throughout the country, particularly in Paris and Lyon but also in cities from Le Havre to Nice and in countless smaller locations in between, planners can find literally hundreds of the finest and most charismatic dining places in the world.
But France's reputation as the global leader in gourmet food has another dimension.
It means that travellers can experience meals in even the most modest of establishments, from classic brasseries to quayside cafes.
The experience starts with the most succulent of croissants and the most flavourful of coffees in the morning, takes in lavish pastries during the day and ends with astonishing cheese at night.
With food goes drink, and again the range and depth of France's output is staggering.
Its wines lead the world and everyone of them seems to come from some delightful district of beautiful landscapes, historic buildings and imaginative attractions.
There are the famous whites, from the Loire, where there are as many chateaux as vineyards, and from Alsace, where the Wine Route curls through a succession of magnificently preserved villages.
There are the even more famous reds, from Bordeaux, where the elegant private homes are often like small castles, and from Burgundy, where the vineyards create stunning scenery.
And there are the celebrated Champagnes, from around Rheims, home of the famous cathedral.
But even this range only hints at the diversity of French libations, for still to consider are the areas producing more specialised tipples, like cognac and calvados, which also boast world-class attractions and, of course, well-organised tasting tours.
Shopping is an essential ingredient of any incentive programme and no country in the world can outdo France.
Paris inevitably sets the standard.
Its fashion houses, from Chanel to Yves St.
Laurent, are household names and lead the way in world design.
In France these gurus are not mystic figures.
They are a real presence, with outstanding shops on the Champs Elysee and in the small streets around the Arc de Triomphe, backed up by enticing department stores, like the famed Galeries Lafayette.
But stores offering the finest of luxury items are not limited to the capital.
One only has to stroll the pleasant, Old Town streets of Dijon or Cannes to enjoy magnificent displays of leading names like Louis Vuitton and Christian Dior.
Wining, dining and shopping can be tiring, even in France, so the country has had the good sense to provide accommodation for overnight stays of an equally high standard.
Again Paris has to be acknowledged as the pace-setter for the hotel industry.
Here individual properties like the Ritz and the Crillon are the epitome of beauty and comfort.
But there are dozens of hotels of equal distinction in outstanding settings all around the country, from the magical Negresco on the Promenade des Anglais in Nice to the prestigious Palais overlooking the beach in Biarritz.
Well-fed, well-clothed, and well-rested, travellers can then move on to enjoy France's fantastic array of alternative activities.
Rail travel can be a delight, with the TGV trains hurtling through stunning landscapes of lakes and forests and mountains to link all parts of the country within hours.
But more sedate alternatives, such as hot-air ballooning and canal cruising, are also recommended experiences.
Sports-minded achievers can switch easily from great spectator occasions, like motor racing on the electrifying circuits at Le Mans and Monte Carlo, horse racing at Langchamps and football at the brand new World Cup Stade, to more active pursuits, including golf on fabulous courses along the north and south coasts, skiing in the Alps and canoeing on the Rhone.
Sightseers are perhaps the most spoilt of all.
For them France offers a dazzling assortment of high culture attractions, such as the palaces at Versailles and Fontainebleau or a host or art galleries stocked with the output of local heroes like Renoir, Degas, Picasso and Cezanne.
But France also caters to those with 21st century tastes.
With huge theme parks spanning the spectrum from the ritzy Disneyland Paris to the more-specialised Futuroscope, an ever-changing display dedicated to cutting-edge visual technologies.
Whatever the focus of events in France, planners enjoy one consistent advantage: the French understand the philosophy which drives incentive travel.
They not only have the facilities for them.
They have the mentality and the back-up services to make them work, seamlessly.
This support is always vital for planners, but especially so when time is short, perhaps as short as that one day before all travel is banned!