© Adobe Capital – The Olympic Games will attract around 15 million tourists this summer to Paris.
«Laurent Fabius – Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2012 to 2016 – used to say that hospitality begins on the sidewalk, with a smile returned to a tourist who asks you for directions“. It is through this anecdote that Dominique Marcel, president of the Tourism Alliance, introduced this Tuesday, March 5, the immersive gaming platform intended to rediscover the fundamentals of welcome and hospitality on the eve of Olympic Games“. A project which not only has an educational vocation, but which also aims to prepare the ground for “after the Olympics». «The trace they will leave will permeate for many yearsthe attractiveness of France», warns Dominique Marcel.
Surrounded by some of the biggest bosses in the tourism industry, including those from ADP, Barrière, SNCF, Accor, Galer Lafayette, the president of Alliance Tourisme presented the outlines of this training aimed at hoteliers and cafe owners. , restaurateurs, traders, mobility and security players. The game will also be broadcast to the 30,000 law enforcement officers mobilized during the sporting event, to which will be added the million employees of Alliance Tourisme companies, those of the Paris Tourist Office, and all French people. An initiative deemed “necessary to make this sporting event a popular celebration and a showcase of our French art of living», enthuses Philippe Houzé, chairman of the management board of Galeries Lafayette.
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A platform to make everyone an ambassador of Paris
Developed at the request of the Tourism Alliance by VR connection, an immersive content company at the origin of virtual reality exploration Eternal Our Lady, this educational game is made up of two fifteen-minute modules. After creating their avatar, the user will answer questions on how to welcome, guide and reassure tourists throughout their stay. Some questions relate to itineraries, the choice of transport or even the security rules drawn up by the Ministry of the Interior. A voice-over gradually distills the recommendations and even goes so far as to remind us of the importance “to smile“. The second part of the game focuses on the history of the city of Paris, with unusual anecdotes to make everyone “a seasoned ambassador».
«The Olympic Games are everyone’s business and not just that of public authorities. We didn’t need to wait for their green light to act», welcomes Philippe Houzé. Dominique Marcel agrees: “we are in action and optimism“. And to throw a little dig at the government, which invites Parisians to telework and stay at home as much as possible during the Olympics. As a reminder, 15 million visitors are expected in Paris this summer.
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A key word: “ooptimism »
These recommendations have the effect of fueling the fear of Ile-de-France residents of being put under cover in the middle of summer. Between transport hassles, price increases of all kinds, cultural places taken by storm, many people want to flee the capital during the Olympics.
«It is unbearable for us, tourism stakeholders, to hear that France is going to endure the Olympic Games, when it is a feeling of pride that we should feel.», annoys Arthur Lemoine, director of offers and purchasing at Galeries Lafayette. Especially since there is really no reason to worry, reassures Patrick Mendes, CEO of the Accor group: “We must stop panicking and realize the rarity of this event. The last time France hosted the Summer Olympics was 100 years ago »
Displaying unfailing optimism, he rejects the hypothesis according to which the capital would be invaded by hordes of tourists. According to him, there won’t be more than usual: “every year, we manage 100 million tourists, including 25% to 30% in July-August, there will certainly be a little more, but I tell you, we are completely ready.
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2024-03-05 17:17:21
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