Visit Paris Region, by agreement with the Ile-de-France Conseil régional (regional council), of which it is a public organization partner – promotes the region to tourists as a tourism destination.
For several years the destination "Paris Region" has been the most visited tourist region in the world.
Widely popular for the diversity of its natural, heritage and cultural wealth, our destination offers visitors of all ages, from near and far, a wide choice of holidays – particularly short city breaks – and activities of all types, all year round.
The principal region for French art of living, it promotes the influence of the cultural values for which our country is internationally famous.
"Paris Region" is also one of the youngest and multicultural regions in Europe and its creative energy in many fields ‒ design, fashion, music, etc – is constantly reinvigorated.
Tourism is one of its major business sectors. From an economic point of view, it represents about 600,000 direct and indirect jobs. A dynamic sector, the number of people it employs is also increasing at a rate of growth higher overall than other business sector. By creating employment, tourism also generates a lot of wealth. For instance, it alone generates nearly 10% of the region’s gross domestic product (GDP).
In this context, Visit Paris Region promotes the region to tourists as a tourism destination.
Its role especially includes:
- promoting Paris Region’s touristic advantages to its French and foreign visitors;
- making the tourism possibilities of Paris and its region clearer (in relation to events, culture, heritage, etc.);
- helping ensure the welcome and information provided to tourists is of a quality.
Quality of welcome at the heart of our approach
In order to bring this ambition to life, Visit Paris Region has developed assessment and observation tools designed to better understand the various demands and expectations of its many visitors to the Paris Region… so as to better satisfy them!
Since 2004, in close collaboration with numerous public and private tourism players, it has also been coordinating an important “quality approach”. The main evidence of this approach carried out with the support of a specialist firm is the regular publication of "quality indicators" enabling everyone to identify their strong points and areas for improvement in terms of welcome.
Undertaken with the tourist offices, this approach was gradually extended to taxis, then museums and monuments in 2008. A year which also saw, at the initiative of Visit Paris Region, the "first international meetings of museums’ and monuments’ quality of welcome” take place (for further information: quality site URL).
Visit Paris Region also uses this tool! As part of a special agreement with another regional public organization – the Centres d’accueil régionaux du tourisme (regional tourism welcome centres abbreviated to CaRT), it coordinates "points information tourisme" (tourism information points) located at various terminals within Paris Charles de Gaulle airport.
Wherever you come from, their many multilingual agents will always be there to welcome you, provide you with information and offer a range of tourism products and services from the moment you arrive: transport tickets, museum "passes", cruises, evenings out, etc. Their aim is also to constantly offer you a better welcome!
With this in mind, Visit Paris Region is working on developing a “Tourism and disability” certification. The aim of this certification is to encourage access for disabled people to holidays, leisure activities and culture by guaranteeing them a suitable welcome. Museums, sites, accommodation, restaurants, special tours and facilities, equipment, etc. With nearly 200 certified sites, Paris Region is among the most accessible French regions.
As well as this, under the Paris Region Conseil régional’s local cooperation agreements, Visit Paris Region is called on to carry out technical support tasks, undertaken with partner regions in France and abroad. At the Paris Region level, it also supports new projects, linked to the regional local development policy. It therefore coordinates and takes part in the promotion of accommodation networks. While it is carrying out all this work, it is taking the opportunity to invite consideration and action in relation to sustainable tourism development.
