Paris unveils plan to win back tourists
Paris tourism authorities have unveiled an action plan designed to woo back visitors.
Terror attacks and flooding have led to a 13% fall in visitor numbers between January and August this year, compared with the same period in 2015.
Measures include hiring students to become ‘tourism interns’ to give assistance to tourists.
The English-speaking students will positioned at key landmarks around the French capital to help guide visitors and make them feel welcome.
Around 200 will be recruited over the 2016 Christmas period and by next summer there are plans to have around 1,000 .
Funds have also been put aside to give English lessons to tourism workers, including taxi and bus drivers.
To help visitors feel more secure, mobile police stations will be installed at tourist hot spots around the city.
Authorities are also pushing for the term ‘state of emergency’ to be changed to ‘state of high security’.
A state of emergency has been in place since the Paris attacks last November.
Tourism officials also hope visitor numbers will be boosted by a new television series which will be set in the region.
Investment is also being made in its tourism website and the creation of a City Pass, which for public transport and entry into popular tourist attractions.
The measures were unveiled by Valerie Pecresse, president of the the Ile-de-France region, in an interview with Journal du Dimanche.
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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