Paris is doing its best to rekindle a cooling affair

Paris, the capital city of France, received around 533,000 Chinese visitors last year. security touted as way of winning over reluctant Chinese tourists

Paris is hoping that Chinese tourists, scared away from the City of Light by the dark doings of its criminals, will reassess their views and begin flocking back to it.

Clement Laloux, marketing director of the Paris Convention and Visitors Bureau, said the city has stepped up security to curb crimes committed against Chinese tourists, and figures issued by police in November suggest those efforts have borne fruit.

Robberies committed against Chinese tourists fell 25 percent in the first nine months of last year, police say.

But whether that improvement is enough to get Chinese to once again fall for the romantic charms of France and its capital remains to be seen, particularly given that terrorist attacks in Paris have complicated the job of those trying to keep tourists coming to the country.

In March, the Chinese embassy in Paris issued a rare travel warning, urging Chinese visitors to stay off commuter trains that run between the city center and France's largest international airport following a spate of robberies.

Chinese visitors have been advised to use buses, taxis or other transport to travel between Paris' tourist zone and Charles de Gaulle International Airport 25 kilometers northeast of the city.

"Nothing is perfect, because there is no such thing as zero risk," Laloux says of the increased security measures.

The convention and visitors bureau said Paris welcomed around 533,000 Chinese visitors last year, making China the seventh-largest overseas source market for the city.

A security action plan that Paris unveiled last year included 26 measures to curb crimes targeting tourists. More police have been put on patrol and more officers have been sent to popular tourist sites such as the Louvre, Montmartre, Notre Dame and the Champs-Elysees.

A "Guide to Staying Safe in Paris", translated into Chinese, has been issued, advising tourists to carry a minimum of cash, favor small banknotes and watch out for gangs of teenagers who pick pockets while conducting phony petitions.

The police department's Chinese-language Web page has provided many crime-prevention tips, as well as the location of police stations and how to report a crime.

"In the central district, the main tourist area, tourists can file complaints directly in Chinese, because there are Chinese-speaking police," Laloux said.

The Chinese embassy says that since mid-February, at least four robberies have occurred on express trains linking the city and the airport, on which trains run almost 24 hours a day, with frequent departures, Hong Kong newspaper The Standard reported on March 19.

One tourist was said to have missed a flight back to China after having a bag stolen during the 40-minute train ride. Another Chinese visitor was reported to have suffered "a very huge loss", and two other tourists also missed flights home after having property stolen.

More than 10 million overseas tourists visit Paris every year, but Chinese tourists, who are known for carrying large sums of cash, are widely regarded as a prime target for thieves, robbers and crimes of violence.

Last August the news service Bloomberg quoted Jean-Francois Zhou, president of the Chinese association of travel agencies in France, as saying: "Chinese people romanticize France. They know about French literature and French love stories. But some of them end up in tears, swearing they'll never come back."

Chen Xiaowei, 42, who visited Paris last year, said he often heard security reminders broadcast in Chinese in many public areas.

"Security was my biggest worry. Before arriving, I looked at crime in different areas and made security my top priority when booking hotels. Luckily, everything about the trip was safe and sound."

However, it is not just security concerns that are acting as a drag on the flow of Chinese money into France's tourism market.

Chinese tourists have also been increasingly reluctant to spend large sums as a result of their government's crackdown on official corruption and profligate spending, Zhou was quoted as saying.

It is revenue that France, one of the world's most popular tourist destinations, can ill afford to miss as it struggles with a depressed economy.

China has been the world's largest outbound tourism market since 2012, with travelers reputed for their hefty spending.

The encouraging thing for European business is that a weak euro has made shopping in eurozone member countries cheaper for Chinese tourists, who are world champions in buying luxury goods. Their spending rose 122 percent in March compared with that of last year, and 52 percent in February compared with last year, bringing the increase for the first quarter to 67 percent, the international tax refund company Global Blue said in a report published on April 20.

Exchange rate movements have led to significant regional price differences, with identical luxury items sometimes costing more than 50 percent less in European capitals than in big Chinese cities, Globe Blue said.

This month, Laloux led a delegation of 20 Parisian companies on a road show from Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong province, to Shanghai and Beijing to promote Paris as a destination for Chinese travelers. The companies included the upmarket department store Printemps and the stage entertainment company Crazy Horse.

"There are different markets in China, because China is so huge," Laloux says.

"We are looking very carefully at the airlines (from China to Paris). Six cities in China have direct flights to Paris."

Laloux said Chinese are the biggest-spending visitors in Paris, estimated to spend an average of 1,500 euros ($1,670) each on shopping, mainly on designer brands.

"It is cheaper for Chinese to buy luxuries in Paris, and throughout the year they get a tax refund of 12 percent."

In addition to drawing Chinese to Paris with luxury brands, the city is putting more effort into drawing them with cultural attractions. The newest ones include the Louis Vuitton Foundation, dedicated to contemporary art, which opened in October, the Paris Philharmonia, which opened in January, and the Picasso Museum, which reopened in October after a five-year renovation.

As Chinese increasingly travel independently, the bureau is also adapting its market strategies, working more closely with online travel agencies and promoting its products in China's social media, Laloux said.