{"id":165153,"date":"2024-01-08T08:34:01","date_gmt":"2024-01-08T07:34:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.voyages-d-affaires.com\/?p=165153"},"modified":"2024-01-08T08:34:02","modified_gmt":"2024-01-08T07:34:02","slug":"rabadan-paris-welcome-monde","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.voyages-d-affaires.com\/en\/rabadan-paris-welcome-monde","title":{"rendered":"P. Rabadan (OTCP): \"What is at stake in 2024 is a major challenge for the next 15 years\"."},"content":{"rendered":"

2024 is a major year for Paris, with the hosting of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Let's start with a concern that may affect business travellers. With millions of spectators expected, would you advise them to avoid meetings and appointments in Paris, particularly at the start of the new academic year at the end of August\/beginning of September?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Pierre Rabadan - <\/strong>This will obviously be a very busy period, with the hosting of the Paralympic Games. That said, I'd like to encourage everyone - conference delegates, event organisers and business travellers - to come to Paris and enjoy the exceptional festive atmosphere. A unique experience<\/strong>. This is all the more important given that, while the transport plan for the Olympic Games takes place at a time when business activity is slow, in the middle of summer, the plan for the Paralympics is based on a smaller number of spectators, around 4 million compared with more than 11 million for the Olympic Games, in addition to the traditional back-to-school crowds. So will it be necessary to limit travel? Those who can are encouraged to travel by teleworking <\/strong>in the first week of the new school year. But our aim is to be able to welcome spectators as well as those returning to their daily lives or business tourists. To this end, as for the Olympic Games, this period will benefit from a major increase in services, both in terms of equipment and personnel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Transport is one of the great assets of Paris as a destination, but it's also a potential source of trouble. Anything can go very well during the Games, as well as generating a bad buzz around the destination in the event of a problem. This began with the announcement of the increase in the price of metro tickets.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Pierre Rabadan - <\/strong>I can confirm that I was surprised by this increase, as we learned of it from the press, given that we are one of the funders of Ile-de-France Mobilit\u00e9s. But let's not get into that debate... It's true that Paris has one of the best public transport networks in the world. The concept of the Games that we wanted to develop is based on this, by concentrating many of the events in the centre of Paris, outside the traditional sports venues. This requires a system that works optimally. We've been a little worried in recent months, with the service not always satisfactory on a day-to-day basis. But we'd rather worry before than during the Games<\/strong>. I can see the involvement of all the players. It's a long-term job, but we'll be there. And, above all, I hope that our efforts will make it possible to stabilise this transport service over the long term, well beyond the Games.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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(c) Paris 2024 - Florian Hulleu<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Before turning to the effect of the Olympics on Paris as a destination, I'd like to ask you a question about transport and the Paralympic Games. Will they result in really improved accessibility to venues and transport?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Pierre Rabadan - <\/strong>In an old city like Paris, this is a major challenge. We know full well that not all of the Paris metro will be accessible. Many stations have old structures that make the work long and difficult. But all the new stations, particularly those on line 14, as well as the renovations, will make the metro accessible. At the same time, the City of Paris has invested 13 million euros to increase the number of accessible bus stops from 53% to 70%. The number of taxis able to accommodate PRMs will also increase significantly. We are using this opportunity to move faster<\/strong> and more effectively on accessibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You recently succeeded a tourism professional, Jean-Fran\u00e7ois Rial, as head of Paris je t'aime - Office de Tourisme, at the suggestion of the Mayor of Paris. Does this show the city's strong involvement in its tourism future?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Pierre Rabadan - <\/strong>If not a stronger involvement, it is at least proof of a major concern in a key year for Paris and its tourism. There is an indirect link between the challenges of 2024 and the positive impact that this world event could have in the years to come, both on traditional tourism and on business tourism. During the Games, Paris will have the capacity to demonstrate your expertise <\/strong>for hosting major events, but also to better showcase the diversity of what you can do and find in Paris. It was all of these things that led Jean-Fran\u00e7ois Rial to ask me to succeed him, in agreement with Anne Hidalgo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n