Paris Aims To Double Numbers In Five Years

To Focus On Shopping And Entertainment

Anindita Chattopadhyay - New Delhi

Move beyond Louvre and Notre Dame while visiting Paris. The Paris Tourist Office (PTO) has prepared a guidebook that lists 11 ways of discovering Paris to move the focus beyond history and architecture to shopping, sports and entertainment. The must visit places include Belle Hortense, L’ Hippodrome de Longchamp, Les Bains and La Maison des Arts et Metiers. The objective is to increase the average stay of Indians and lure transit passengers. The office also plans to publish promotional pages in leading newspapers of India to create awareness about the city's attractions. After Paris got around 150,000 Indian visitors in 2003, the Paris tourist board decided to focus to double the number in next five years and increase their average stay in the city.

"We are looking at India five years down the line and we are planning accordingly. We have chalked out an action plan for travel agents. In Paris, we regularly hold meetings with tour operators selling Paris in India to discuss marketing plans and problems. Last year we formed an India Tourism committee - an association of companies comprising hotels like Le Meridien, shopping malls like Printemp and Gallarie Lafayete, cabarets who are interested to promote their products in the Indian market. We discuss with them the strategies and plans to gain maximum mileage. In addition, we are organising workshops for drivers, guides, etc to educate them about Indian culture, food and preferences," said Patricia Barthelemy, leisure marketing and communications promotion manager, PTO. “The board is more than eager to help Indian agents to sell Paris. We organise Fam trips for agents twice a year. The agents interested to sell Paris can either contact us or the Maisson de la France office in Delhi," she informed.

In 2006, the Paris Tourist Office plans to organise its own promotion in Delhi and Mumbai to showcase its products. Plans are also afoot to tap Indian tourists visiting London and the transit passengers since 80 per cent of Indians traveling to Paris are on a transit. "We are trying to create some package with EuroStar, the train from London to Paris, to attract Indians visiting London. For Indians on transit, we are planning to arrange one night free one night paid stay and some shopping coupons to extend their stay in the city," said Barthelemy.