City report
Paris good to go from September
ablo Nakhlé Cerruti, CEO
of Viparis, announced that,
on 1 September 2020,
Viparis would reopen its
doors to tradefairs, exhibitions,
congresses and other major events. The
venue will be making up for lost time
with 300 of its events having been
affected by the Covid-19 crisis.
Viparis is operator of nine major event
venues in the Île-de-France region,
including Paris-Expo Porte de Versailles
and the Palais des Congrès at Porte
Maillot.
“We will reopen our event sites in
early September after six months of
confinement,” Cerruti said.
Business tourism, Cerruti noted,
accounted for almost half of the hotel
nights in Paris and Viparis has more
than 40 events already scheduled for
September alone.
Examples of the events booked in for
September include:
The Palais des Congrès de Paris
coming back with the summer
universities of the Order of Chartered
Accountants from 1-3 September and
then hosting the 40th annual congress
of the French Hematology Society 9-11
September. The national congress of the
French Society of Anesthesia and
Resuscitation (SFAR) for an estimated
For those
travelling
outside their
countries’
borders, France
remains
the leading
destination for
Europeans,
favoured by
22% of those
planning to
travel abroad.”
Below: Viparis
hopes to make
up for lost time,
with 300 events
affected by
Covid-19
6,000 participants, is booked for 24-26
September.
Paris Nord Villepinte will host
Première Vision, a global event for
professionals in the textile and fashion
sector, 15-17 September, and Paris
Expo Porte de Versailles will host
Workspace, the workspaces fair, 1-3
September, with more exhibitions to
follow during the month.
Paris tourism barometer
suggests European air traffic could
drop 48% in 2020
More evidence of a slow comeback is
provided by the results of the first
monthly overview from the Paris
Convention and Visitors Bureau’s new
tourism barometer. Although the survey
shows some alarming recent statistics
due to the Covid-19 pandemic, there are
signs of a weak recovery in interest,
particularly from Chinese visitors.
The barometer indicators are
designed to provide a real-time snapshot
of the capital’s attractiveness, including
both data on air traffic and the media
impact of Paris around the globe.
The barometer also ranks the top 10
foreign markets searching for flights to
the destination.
“At this time of crisis, more than
ever, it is our priority to measure and
monitor tourist behavioural trends. We
must continuously build momentum
and ensure we are able to constantly
adapt and reinvent ourselves,” said
Corinne Menegaux, managing director
of the Paris CVB. “This is why, with
our partner Mastercard, we wanted to
produce this monthly barometer to
gain a detailed understanding of what
our visitors expect and to provide
tourism actors with an effective
management tool.”
The barometer figures for May 2020
reflected an estimated reduction in
international tourism flows of 20% to
30% and a reduction in passenger
numbers ranging from 35% to 48% in
2020 for European air passenger traffic.
There was an uptick in flight searches
in May compared to April, led by China
(+62%), and then Russia (+39%),
Germany (+35.6%) and Italy (+26%).
Over three-quarters (77%) of
foreigners and 74% of French travellers
envisage making a trip to a destination
where they will feel safe, while terms
and conditions for any cancellation,
postponement and reimbursement of
stays are essential criteria (for 87% of
foreigners and 92% of French travellers),
the survey found.
For those travelling outside their
countries’ borders, France remains the
leading destination for Europeans,
favoured by 22% of those planning to
travel abroad.
As for long-haul markets surveyed,
subject to the reopening of borders,
China demonstrates the strongest
intention to travel to France in the next
six months, for 57% surveyed (for the
Golden Week period), compared to 23%
for the United States.
Visitors from Southern Europe, such
as Spain and Italy (38% each) express a
real desire to come to Paris, while
Western European markets are taking a
more wait-and-see approach e.g. the UK
and Switzerland (17% each).
Another initiative from Paris CVB is
the ‘Caring Attitude’ Charter, which
requires signatory establishments and
partners to respect seven commitments,
including implementing health
measures, training employees or
adapting services in order to respect
physical distance.
August is seen as a key month: 18% of
tourists surveyed are planning their stay
in August, compared to 17% in
September and 12% in July.
ISSUE 107 / CONFERENCE & MEETINGS WORLD / 39