The quality of the welcome extended to visitors and the service they receive are key factors in the attractiveness of any destination and continuing to improve these is therefore an important issue. As the main international gateways to France and Europe, the Paris airports are a showcase for the world's top tourist destination.
With a view to improving the visitor experience, this agreement encompasses the transformation of nine Tourist Information Points at Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Paris-Orly Airports, so as to provide an enhanced and updated welcome. Born of a partnership between the Île-de-France region and Groupe ADP, these physical spaces are dedicated tourist information areas within the terminals.
In order to meet the needs and expectations of tourists in 2024, an entirely new system will be rolled out in a number of stages:
- the introduction of roaming staff, in the baggage reclaim area in particular. Available where passengers need them, they will be on hand to provide targeted advice and offer an enhanced range of tourist products and services;
- the layout of the airport areas and their facilities will be updated to create space and new digital interfaces will also be installed;
- the opening of a new Tourist Info Area within the future connecting building at Paris-Orly Airport is scheduled for Spring 2019;
- new products, such as the Paris Region Pass, will be sold at our Tourist Information Points, offering visitors an improved experience, a wide range of cultural and tourism products, as well as a package that includes Wi-Fi and mobile phone coverage around the city.
For the Île-de-France region, this agreement forms part of the strategy implemented under the Regional Tourism and Leisure Development 2017-2021 Scheme, which seeks to enhance the quality of the tourist offering and reinvent Paris and Île-de-France as a destination. The goal is to make any trip to the Île-de-France region a unique experience and ensure that visitors receive a welcome consistent with the city's reputation as a world-famous tourist destination.
This partnership with Groupe ADP is just one of a number of new initiatives by the Île-de-France region to promote tourism. These include improving public transport links with investment of almost €24 billion between now and 2025, the new www.visitparisregion.com website, regularly updated with all local events and the option to purchase tickets and services online, reinforcing the “safety shield” to ensure the security of all tourist attractions, and the establishment of a Cleanliness Fund to finance cleaning operations in all Paris communes.
Groupe ADP is pursuing its strategy of increasing passenger capacity and improving service quality for the full benefit of Paris Île-de-France, and the whole of France, as a destination. Changes to its terminals are well underway with projects including the connecting building at Paris-Orly, the new connection between Terminals 2B and 2D, and the merging of the Terminal 1 international satellites at Paris-Charles de Gaulle.
Groupe ADP will be investing over €700 million per year in these projects until 2020. Given IATA’s prediction of global air traffic rising by 3.6% per annum until 2036, Groupe ADP has started preparations for the construction of CDG’s Terminal 4.
Access to the airport will be significantly improved between now and 2024. The new CDG Express, a direct 20-minute rail link between Paris (Gare de l’Est) and Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport, will be part of the exceptional welcome awaiting airline passengers and Olympic Games participants and spectators. This major project, which involves the creation of four Grand Paris metro stations by 2024, the extension of metro line 14 and a new line 17 to serve Paris-Orly and Paris-Charles de Gaulle, will boost the appeal of these Paris airports.
“We must make every effort to promote our Paris airports as a vibrant and modern representation of France and its capital city, its 'art de vivre’ and its hospitality. In the run-up to the 2024 Olympic Games, it is more important than ever that we offer visitors a unique experience and a world-class welcome. This is the underlying aim of the partnership we have renewed and reinforced today with the Île-de-France region, as part of which major work will be carried out between now and 2024. I am thrilled that we have today been given the green light to complete the extensive CDG Express project, while all of the milestones we have reached over recent months are testament to the fact that we are perfectly equipped to bring this to fruition”, said Augustin de Romanet, Chairman & CEO of Groupe ADP.
Valérie Pécresse, President of the Île-de-France region said “we work day-in, day-out to extend a high-quality welcome and service to domestic and international visitors to the Île-de-France region. This week, we will be meeting professionals from the Parisian retail, hospitality and tourism industries to discuss the events that have taken place in Paris over the past two weeks. I expect to see very strong security measures from the Government to ensure that Paris does not suffer from any further chaotic situations, knowing that the images being shared at the moment are detrimental to France’s reputation. Although we have seen great results in terms of tourism this year, we cannot afford to rest on our laurels and must continue to take innovative action to continue to improve the quality of our service. The partnership agreement we have signed today is particularly important given that our region will be hosting the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, a key component in attracting tourists to the Île-de-France region.”