In Paris 9th arrondissement, tourists stroll through Passage Jouffroy on Thursday, November 12.
Photo credit / Cécile Moine
The sound of tourists’ footsteps mingles with the Christmas music playing through several speakers. At the entrance to the passage, the grand Christmas decorations and twinkling garlands bring warmth to the space. A necessary contrast to the metal architecture and Parisian gloom as the holiday season approaches!
One might think that its well-known neighbor, Passage des Panoramas, would overshadow it. But on the contrary, Passage Jouffroy’s ground is the one most tread by tourists this early afternoon. Here, tourists aren’t seeking “picture postcard” souvenirs like those offered by Paris’s Iron Lady, but rather a more original experience. They prefer to go off the beaten path, an initiative that boosts the businesses’ revenue.
Here by Chance, or Not: Tourists found “the real Paris”
They stroll hand in hand, stars in their eyes. Dael and Liaon, two Israeli tourists, are in Paris for the fifth time. Liaon, who has been living in the capital for three months as part of an Erasmus exchange program, brought his partner here for breakfast. “I discovered the covered passages of Paris through ESCP, my business school. One day, they organized a guided tour of these kinds of slightly hidden tourist spots. I really loved it!” he explains. Today, it’s his third visit to Passage Jouffroy, a “romantic” spot that he recommends to other tourists wanting to discover “the real Paris,” away from the Eiffel Tower and the Pantheon.
Mahoo, a Slovenian tourist in her early 30s, didn’t know about Paris’s covered passages. She’s here by chance, with her Brazilian partner. Although it’s her third time in the capital, she had never heard of these hidden spots before. “Of course, I’ve visited the main tourist sites of Paris the last times I came. Today, I wanted to get away from the crowds, and I’m very happy” she says. And she’s not the only one !
Christmas boosts business
The number of tourists visiting Paris’s covered passages is great news for shop owners. “We have many tourists on weekends year-round, but they increase even more as the holiday season approaches,” says Guillaume, 35, the manager of a biscuit shop in Passage Jouffroy. He estimates that usually his store’s revenue doubles in December. “It’s impressive. Normally, we generate €30,000 per month. In the last month of the year, it’s more than €62,000.” Aurore, a saleswoman at a luxury coffee shop in the Passage; agrees. “Without the tourists coming before Christmas, I’m not sure we could make it,” she admits.
An extra boost is provided by the Grévin Museum, whose entrance is only a few meters away. The exit of the famous wax museum is inside the Passage, next to Guillaume’s bakery. This setup ties the store’s revenues to the museum’s opening hours. Every year, this popular spot for realistic wax representations of French and international celebrities welcomes about 320,000 visitors*. A lot of people who can walk through this covered passage in Paris, and all the others.
*according to the Paris Unlocked travel guide.
Cécile Moine