Choose Paris Region - The Paris Region consolidates its attraction and tourism activities

[Official Choose Paris Region press release]

Illustration: ©Pascale Gueret

On July 1, 2023, Choose Paris Region will merge with the Comité Régional du Tourisme to become the one-stop shop for investors, visitors, producers and talent from around the world, with dedicated brands for each audience: Invest Paris Region, Visit Paris Region, Film Paris Region, Work&Live Paris Region. With the Rugby World Cup 2023 and the Olympic and Paralympic Games 2024 just around the corner, the agency is ready to speak with one voice to all these audiences to best promote the Paris Region brand.

An alliance to strengthen the influence of the Paris Region destination

For the first time in 2022, Paris Region was ranked as Europe's most attractive region for direct international investment, including the UK, in the EY European Investment Monitor 2023 barometer. In 2023, it also regained first place in the "European Cities and Regions of the Future" ranking drawn up by fDi Intelligence, the foreign investment division of the Financial Times. This ranking also gives the Paris Region the best "foreign direct investment strategy" in Europe, including the UK. It is also the world's most-visited destination, with a dynamic tourism industry in 2022 and an accelerating recovery, welcoming more than 44 million tourists (vs. 50.6 million in 2019, the benchmark year). The sector's economic spin-offs involve more than 500,000 jobs and will generate revenues of 19.6 billion euros in 2022 (nearly 22 billion euros in 2019).

Following the merger of activities related to the image industry (Film Paris Region) with Choose Paris Region in 2019, the merger with the Comité Régional du Tourisme will further enhance the region's coherence and attractiveness. In this way, the Paris Region is positioning itself against the world's other major metropolises as part of a global hospitality approach. Other global metropolises have already brought tourism and international appeal under a single umbrella: London, Cape Town, Amsterdam, Milan, Helsinki, Rotterdam, Lille, Nantes, Rennes, Toulouse...

This grouping gives a new ambition to the region's attractiveness challenges, and enables us to pursue a long-term ambition for the region's development in terms of impact, social inclusion, economic development and innovation, and to increase the effectiveness of our actions to boost regional attractiveness.

A pivotal moment for the capital region and the country

This merger, effective July 1, 2023, comes at a pivotal time for the region and the country: ahead of major international events (Rugby World Cup 2023 and Olympic and Paralympic Games 2024), after Brexit, and a year away from the first major deliveries of the Grand Paris Express. The new organization will be the one-stop shop for investments in Paris Region linked to the Olympics and for international visitors. It will also be the one-stop shop for all companies, local authorities and players wishing to showcase their initiatives in connection with the Olympics (in terms of sustainable development, innovation or territorial dynamics)...

"With this grouping of the teams in charge of investment, tourism and the image industry, as requested by the President of the Region Valérie Pécresse, we want more than ever to increase the influence of our territory, and offer a better 360-degree experience of the Ile-de-France Region, for all our audiences. All our regional partners, public and private, French and international, are supporting us in this decision to co-construct the regional offer and bring together the entire ecosystem of the Ile-de-France region".

Alexandra Dublanche, President of Choose Paris Region and Vice President in charge of Recovery, Attractiveness, Economic Development and Innovation for the Paris Region.

A collective project to enhance the global attractiveness of Paris Region

Alexandra Dublanche, current President of Choose Paris Region, retains the Presidency, accompanied by Lionel Grotto as Managing Director.

In September, a General Meeting will be convened to elect the new members of the Board of Directors. The new agency is already housed on the premises of the Conseil régional d'Île-de-France in St Ouen, before moving to the rue Barbet de Jouy premises formerly occupied by the Conseil régional, which will become a showcase for the region's attractiveness. The agency will draw on the support of its public and private partners to collectively build the region's offer and communicate together on the international stage.

"The ambition of the Île-de-France region is to create a major attraction agency to strengthen the region's positioning in the eyes of investors, tourists, international talent and film shoots. The CRT is part of this new drive to make Paris Region the best destination in the world.

Eric Jeunemaitre, President of the Comité Régional du Tourisme.

"Today, it's company employees who decide where they want to live and work. New dimensions linked to quality of life, heritage and real estate quality need to be integrated to build a modern metropolis that can rise to the challenges ahead. Our targets are becoming less and less segmented: between investors, business and leisure visitors, filmgoers, residents and future residents... We need a global approach, and that's what we're building. It's a very exciting new chapter," concludes Alexandra Dublanche.

A few words about Choose Paris Region

Choose Paris Region is the international attraction agency of the Paris Region: it promotes and influences the region internationally, and ensures that investors, visitors and talents from all over the world are welcomed and provided with quality services, while ensuring the region's sustainable and balanced development.

Through its knowledge of the regional economic ecosystem, the agency attracts and supports investors, and facilitates the establishment of companies thanks to targeted, personalized services and partners. It contributes to the development of strong, innovative and sustainable industrial sectors.

It promotes and develops the destination through its work with tourism players and visitors. It puts in place the resources, tools, support and network that enable Paris Region tourism professionals to develop and distribute a high-quality, innovative and adapted offer.

It contributes to the excellence of the Paris region's film and audiovisual industry: as Europe's leading region, it supports French and international productions, drawing on its cultural heritage and its concentration of specialized professionals and companies.

Finally, the Agency supports and provides resources for international talent wishing to settle and live in the Paris Region because of its quality of life and the perfect balance between professional and private life.