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Explore Paris booking platform
Published on 18 November 2021
France
Ile-de-France
This is the good practice's implementation level. It can be national, regional or local.
About this good practice
Eight Tourism Boards and other partners brought their expertise and resources to renew and boost Paris' image as a tourism destination, and to develop and promote a new urban tourism offer in off-the-beaten-track venues, on the wider scale of Greater Paris.
Paris, the ultimate city break destination, is not simply a city centre. An abundance of cultural, artistic and festive offers on both sides of the ring road attract tourists searching for something different. This creative offer is based on themes such as street art, architecture, modern art, cosmopolitan Paris, nature and in particular river tourism in the Greater Paris area. The finalised offer has been launched at the www.exploreparis.com e-store, both in French and in English. Tourists can choose from a wide selection of Greater Paris experiences, discovering the area and meeting residents on tours and walks, at workshops, on cruises, and engaging in water sports activities, etc.
The aim is not only to develop this tourist destination's image but also to increase tourism flows from the centre of Paris to the capital's suburban districts and towns – which are all easily accessible by public transport - and to promote these areas and their tourist attractions.
The platform also offers professionals an effective booking tool that has substantially simplified their everyday work. This system has helped tourism boards to develop even closer relations with local stakeholders.
Paris, the ultimate city break destination, is not simply a city centre. An abundance of cultural, artistic and festive offers on both sides of the ring road attract tourists searching for something different. This creative offer is based on themes such as street art, architecture, modern art, cosmopolitan Paris, nature and in particular river tourism in the Greater Paris area. The finalised offer has been launched at the www.exploreparis.com e-store, both in French and in English. Tourists can choose from a wide selection of Greater Paris experiences, discovering the area and meeting residents on tours and walks, at workshops, on cruises, and engaging in water sports activities, etc.
The aim is not only to develop this tourist destination's image but also to increase tourism flows from the centre of Paris to the capital's suburban districts and towns – which are all easily accessible by public transport - and to promote these areas and their tourist attractions.
The platform also offers professionals an effective booking tool that has substantially simplified their everyday work. This system has helped tourism boards to develop even closer relations with local stakeholders.
Expert opinion
The good practice counteracts the effects of overtourism, a situation that can be defined as ‘the phenomenon whereby certain places of interest are visited by excessive numbers of tourists, raising undesirable effects for the places visited’ (Oxford Dictionary). The effort to divert tourists from the usually visited attractions in the Paris city centre to areas around the city is in line with the European Agenda for Tourism 2050 that aims at shaping the tourism of
tomorrow based on a roadmap towards a sustainable, innovative and resilient European tourism ecosystem - the contrary of mass tourism. The good practice shows how to promote attractions off the beaten track and the challenges it faces to reach visibility in a highly crowded and competitive market. Many cities experiment with diversion strategies to allow surrounding areas to benefit from tourism while alleviating the pressure on the traditional main sights. The good practice is transferable in its basic principles, but the work needs to be done in a given context. The good practice is related to policy brief on overcrowding here: https://www.interregeurope.eu/fileadmin/user_upload/plp_uploads/policy_briefs/Sustainable_Tourism_Strategies_to_counteract_overtourism.pdf
tomorrow based on a roadmap towards a sustainable, innovative and resilient European tourism ecosystem - the contrary of mass tourism. The good practice shows how to promote attractions off the beaten track and the challenges it faces to reach visibility in a highly crowded and competitive market. Many cities experiment with diversion strategies to allow surrounding areas to benefit from tourism while alleviating the pressure on the traditional main sights. The good practice is transferable in its basic principles, but the work needs to be done in a given context. The good practice is related to policy brief on overcrowding here: https://www.interregeurope.eu/fileadmin/user_upload/plp_uploads/policy_briefs/Sustainable_Tourism_Strategies_to_counteract_overtourism.pdf
Works at
Interreg Europe Policy Learning Platform
Resources needed
Development of the offer / partnership : 3 FTE
Customer relations / management of the platform : 2 FTE
Communication : 1 FTE +
Development and maintenance of the platform : 72 K€
Communication (press kit, flyers, press reception, referencing, …) : 33 K€
Promotion (workshops) : 15 K€
Customer relations / management of the platform : 2 FTE
Communication : 1 FTE +
Development and maintenance of the platform : 72 K€
Communication (press kit, flyers, press reception, referencing, …) : 33 K€
Promotion (workshops) : 15 K€
Evidence of success
In 2019 :
Number of visits per year: 3,400 visits proposed on different time slots
Number of visitors: 49,000 visitors
Turnover : 341 000€.
Client profile: regional (90%), national (8%), international (2%)
Platform attendance:
562,000 unique visitors, 2.5 M page views
+88% between May-December 2018 and May-December 2019
Newsletter: 70,000 subscribers
Number of visits per year: 3,400 visits proposed on different time slots
Number of visitors: 49,000 visitors
Turnover : 341 000€.
Client profile: regional (90%), national (8%), international (2%)
Platform attendance:
562,000 unique visitors, 2.5 M page views
+88% between May-December 2018 and May-December 2019
Newsletter: 70,000 subscribers
Potential for learning or transfer
Explore Paris is an opportunity for tourism professionals to target regional and national visitors interested by off-the-beaten-tracks activities and visits. It also offers to professionals an effective booking tool that simplify a lot their everyday work. The platform has helped tourism boards to develop even closer relations with local stakeholders.
Further information
Website
Good practice owner
You can contact the good practice owner below for more detailed information.
Organisation
Val-de-Marne Tourism Board
France
Ile-de-France
Contact
Project coordinator