GREATER Paris has notched a record 23.6 million hotel stays during 2017 – an increase of 11% on 2016.
The president of the Paris region, Valerie Pecresse, announced the figures to almost 1,000 guests at the Rendez-vous en France trade mart welcome soire last night.
Buyers and media from around the world gathered at Les Puce de Saint Ouen – the biggest antique market in the world – for the lavish event in the French capital.
Raucous cancan dancers thrilled the crowd packed into the market, where stallholders interacted with those wandering through the eclectic stalls of antiquities, collectables, retro furniture and vintage wear.
As Pecresse revealed the latest visitor numbers, she also briefly reflected on past terror incidents.
“I want to carry on enforcing the safety message in favour of our tourists,” she said.
“In coming months, mobile police stations will be deployed at several tourists sites across Greater Paris.”
In all, 979 buyers and trade from 69 countries will meet with local operators over the next two days of Rendez-vous en France, with close to 25,000 meetings due to be held.
Pictured at the event are Laura Hadfield of French Travel Connection with Jaclyn Lofts of UTracks and Martyn Paterson of Outdoor Travel, while inset are some of the cancan entertainers.
Source: traveldaily