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Geneva, which means that, relative to its "alternative" sector that also offers a lot Q: As Managing Director of Geneva
population, it is the city in the world with of things to do, and so on. Tourism & Conventions, would you
the most museums. You should know like to have more contact with <tin-
that 46% of the territory of the canton With the aid of digital tools, my job is to ternational Geneva>>?
is an agricultural zone. The Canton of set up the channels and to create a diary
Geneva is the third producer of wine in of events in Geneva that contains all the There are lot of contacts. I work a lot
Switzerland. There are many things like information available. It's only then that with the Chancellery and we have set
this that people do not know. I think one people will realize how many things they up, for instance, an international tour
explanation is that people do not mix. can do in Geneva -- that's my goal. of Geneva. My wish is always the same:
Expats, whether they are working for the international organizations should
large multinational companies or inter- All this is, of course, to promote Geneva also open up to the locals, because by
national civil servants, often do not know as an international destination for lei- doing so the Genevois will know better
much about what is going on in Geneva. sure tourists coming from abroad. There what the different organizations do and,
are two ways of doing things. We work why they are important. Then they will
Q: What is your strategy to make on the "closed markets". Today, people understand your goals and mission and
these "populations" more aware book directly online, so you have to re- understand that you are important to
about what Geneva has to offer? mind them that London and Paris are the city.
not the only tourist destinations, but in
First, I must explain something. Geneva Geneva too there are many things to do. Q: Do you think that the internatio-
Tourism and Conventions is a private as- nal community can play an impor-
sociation recognized as a public utility. There is real potential for development tant role in promoting Geneva?
Our funding comes from the tourism here. Let me give you an example. There
foundation that is financed from a spe- are about 1 million British tourists co- It's a two-way process. In the same way
cial tax on hotel nights and a number of ming to ski in the Alps every year. In that I said that the Genevois should be
beneficiaries of tourism who are obliged general, they use Geneva as the gateway ambassadors for international civil ser-
to pay a tax according to a law passed in to the mountains, but we should remind vants, in the same way the internationals
1994. These entire amounts are paid into them that they could also stop for a day could do the same. In fact, we know that
the Foundation for Tourism, which is un- or two in Geneva. They could visit the word of mouth is the most effective mar-
der the presidency of the State Councillor city, because there is a lot to do -- but keting tool. If a diplomat or international
of Geneva, Mr François Unger. I obtain this is relatively unknown. civil servant receives a visit from his fa-
my budget from this foundation. mily, this will have an impact as they will
Then we have a second activity: tourist visit the city.
We have three main objectives. We pro- information providing assistance to vi-
mote Geneva abroad. We work a lot to sitors in Geneva. Once they have landed However, I would like to challenge you a
attract people to hold their conferences and are present in the city, we provide little... What is funny is that Geneva is of-
in Geneva. Why? them with information. We have one ten compared to Paris or New York, but
• Geneva has a unique geographical department here in Geneva, and there is you tend to forget that Geneva is only a
location; also the Centre d'Accueil -- Genève In- middle-sized city, not a metropolis like
• Palexpo exhibition halls are five- ternationale (CAGI) with which we col- Paris or New York. However, there are
minutes from the airport; laborate. things to do in Geneva that people do not
• the CICG is a very good conference know about. "Lack of awareness" is the
centre; We also organize other types of events. keyword.
• there are 9,200 hotel rooms with a We are behind the "Les Fetes de Ge-
concentration of 4- and 5-stars, nève", which is the most important event Q: Are there any problem with ri-
offering a quality infrastructure. in Switzerland. Not only does it last eight sing criminality in Geneva?
This means that Geneva is very well posi- days, but it brings in 2 million visitors to
tioned on the congress market. Business the city, generating indirect and direct Geneva has benefited from extra-ordi-
tourism is not very visible as people stay income amounting to about CHF120 nary security measures, and this is part
during the working week. You should million. of the fundamental image of Geneva. In
know that Geneva is among the top ten the past, people came here with bundles
cities in the world for congresses, coming Q: How do you make Geneva better of banknotes without encountering pro-
before Vienna and Brussels. We have one known? blems. However, it is true that Geneva
department that deals exclusively with has become more open due to the Schen-
this market. I believe that there are two things to do. gen Agreement. Don't forget that in these
When a person comes to Geneva to live times of economic turmoil Geneva still
Then you have leisure tourism. Histori- in a foreign city, a foreign country that remains an island of prosperity. When
cally, this form of tourism has been un- functions in a way that is not necessa- this is being said, people are sometimes a
popular because of the idea that there is rily the one they might know, the natu- little contradictory. In Paris or New York
not much to do in Geneva. ral reaction is to withdraw from the un- people are more careful about crimina-
known and to try to find one's bearings. lity. This is normal because in metropo-
We realize this and we have tackled the What I can do is to encourage people lis cities you automatically pay attention
problem. My medium-term strategic to go out and benefit from the different and behave more cautiously. However,
goal is to aggregate all the benefits that events taking place in Geneva and to comparing Geneva to the levels of crime
are offered by Geneva, and make them meet the locals. My role is to educate in Paris or New York is a little exaggerated.
available to the people living here. If I the locals to be open to international ci-
say that the offer is fragmented, this is vil servants, expats, etc., because we feel However, having said that, objectively
really the case. You have the department that at present the two are living in pa- there are security problems. There has
of culture of the city of Geneva, which rallel with little interaction. been an increase in burglaries. I myself
offers all the information available on have had my home broken into twice --
events and shows -- but it is distribu- I have lots of ideas but unfortunately I do they took everything, including my car!
ted only in French. Then you have the not have an elastic budget.
I
Economy 35