Paris launches smile campaign to woo tourists

Faced with a fall in tourist numbers due to the financial crisis and a reputation for unfriendliness, the Paris tourist board has made a simple request of the city's residents: smile.

Faced with a fall in tourist numbers due to the financial crisis and a reputation for unfriendliness, the Paris tourist board has made a simple request of the city's residents: smile.

Visitors to Paris, the world's most visited city, have fallen 17 percent since January compared with the same period in 2008, official figures show.

To counter the slump and boost revenues, the tourist board has set up stands manned by teams of "smile ambassadors" to welcome holiday-makers at the city's most popular spots.

As if to heed its call, hundreds of roller-skaters formed a giant smile in Place Vendome in the city center on Sunday.

"We have to work on striking and simple images. There's nothing as telling as a smile," said Paul Roll, who heads the tourist board.

In May, a questionnaire carried out by travel site TripAdvisor found Paris to be the most over-rated city in Europe, citing its high prices and unpleasant residents.

Daniel Fasquelle, founder of a tourism association, said that French from all walks of life needed to play their part.

"If we want tourism, which has generated more than two million jobs, to remain a major economic sector, everyone has to get behind it - professionals, elected representatives, and French people," he said.

受金融危机和法国人不友好名声的影响，来法游客人数有所下降，对此巴黎市旅游局向市民提出了一个简单的要求：微笑。

巴黎是世界上接待游客人数最多的城市，但官方数据显示今年一月份以来的游客人数比2008年同期下降了17%。

为了挽回这种不景气的局面，增加旅游收入，巴黎市旅游局成立了“微笑大使”小组在该市著名景点欢迎游客。

好像是为了响应旅游局的号召，几百名滚轴溜冰爱好者上周日在市中心的凡登广场组成了一个巨大的笑脸。

巴黎市旅游局局长保罗•罗尔说：“我们必须推出醒目而简单的宣传形象。没有比笑脸更生动的表现形式了。”

五月份，旅游网站TripAdvisor所做的一份调查问卷结果显示，巴黎物价高，居民也不友善，被认为是欧洲最言过其实的城市。

一个旅游协会的创办者丹尼尔•法斯奎尔说法国各个行业的人都应该为法国的旅游复兴做出努力。

他说，“如果我们想让已经创造了200万个工作岗位的旅游业继续在经济中发挥主要作用，那么每个人都得参与进来——专业人士，推选出来的代表，还有广大法国民众。”