Paris pitches for foreign Christmas shoppers
Paris aims to attract hundreds of thousands more visitors to the French capital during the Christmas period with the launch of ‘Shopping by Paris’. The initiative offers visitors reductions on restaurants, accommodation and cultural events in an attempt to rival cities like London recently voted the best European city for shopping.
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Figures by one of the leaders of tax-free shopping, Global Blue, says business in Paris boomed during 2010 mainly because of Chinese, Russian, Brazilian and Saudi tourists.
These tourists are among those targeted by Shopping by Paris as well a those from India and Japan and more traditional markets like the UK, Germany, Italy and Switzerland.
Paris is the world’s favourite tourist destination with 28.2 million visitor last year. Around 60 per cent said they went to shop.
Paul Roll, head of Paris’ tourist office, told the French news agency that the image of Paris as a city more interested in culture than consumerism has changed.
“We want to attract new, foreign customers who are proud to take something home from France,” he said.
Meanwhile, the world’s most beautiful avenue will see the number of visitors double from the middle of November.
Edouard Lefebvre of the Champs Elysees committee says most come for events like the Christmas lights or the opening of a new shop.
Last week, huges queues formed outside British retailer Marks and Spencer when it returned to the capital after a decade's absence.
There are some 120 shops on the Avenue des Champs Elysees which welcome as many as 300,000 visitors a day throughout most of the year. During the Christmas period, this increases to around 600,000.
Most of the visitors are French, although Chinese and Japanese tourists are the most spendthrift.
Festivals similar to Shopping by Paris take place in a number of cities around the world.
In a few days, Moroccans will be able to visit the biggest shopping centre in North Africa with the opening of the Morocco Mall in Casablanca.
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