French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius, who is also responsible for tourism planning, used the introduction of this year’s Michelin guide to the country’s best restaurants to set out plans to improve France’s reputation in the eyes of visitors from overseas.
The food produce and cuisine of France is a major draw for tourists but the country has a reputation for giving visitors a less than warm welcome, especially in restaurants.
The government has promised changes across a number of measures to be more welcoming and visitor-friendly.
- Adding other languages on the Paris Metro, especially on the most-travelled lines, and offering multi-day passes that work on the entire subway, bus and suburban train line networks.
- Introducing legislation to expand tourist shopping zones, including the renowned Galeries Lafayette and Printemps, to allow shops to open longer hours, for example on Sunday afternoons.
Passing a measure asking restaurants to highlight their homemade food with the label “fait maison”, in a bid to reverse the trend towards frozen and pre-packaged food being used instead.
