Paris launches a charm offensive
Anyone who has been faced with the legendary frostiness of Paris’ hospitality workers will be relieved to know that the city has launched a “charm offensive” aimed at making visitors more welcome.
According to a report in the Daily Telegraph, more than 2,700 posters bearing a large smiling face have appeared all across the city, and those working in hospitality have been sent a “welcome kit” explaining how to better deal with foreigners.
The newspaper complains: “While those outside the capital are usually delighted at foreigners’ attempts to speak French, Parisians are likely to feign incomprehension at the slightest mispronunciation and then walk away. In brasseries, couples will often find themselves shunted into a gloomy corner while rows of bigger and better tables lie empty on the off-chance that a coach party might arrive.”
The president of the Paris tourist board told the Telegraph: “Personally I am not convinced that Parisians are any more or less welcoming than the people in the rest of France, but this is the reputation we have and we must try to change it.”
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