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There are no trash cans on the Champs-Elysees.存倉 Paris’ department stores, as well as shops and restaurants across the country, are closed on Sundays. Shockingly, it can be hard to find a good meal. And pickpockets swarm the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre.France has long had a reputation — particularly in the English-speaking world — for being a bit difficult to visit. We love to hate it, with its surly waiters and superior shopkeepers. But we also love to love it: More people visit France than any other country.But now, after years of casually riding a reputation for stunning monuments and world-class food, the French are starting to talk about tourism as an economic benefit — and one they need to develop. This is a sea change in a country that has long prided itself on not doing anything as gauche as catering to visitors.“The problem is that in France we don’t value jobs in tourism,” says Didier Arino, a director of the consultancy Protourisme. “We conflate services with servitude.”In 2012, 83 million foreign tourists visited France, drawn by Paris, Alpine skiing and Mediterranean resorts.But France has never sat atop the list of places where visitors spend the most. For several years it has been No. 3, behind the US and Spain.France’s Socialist government has vowed to change this.“I want to make France No. 1, period,” Tourism Minister Sylvia Pinel told reporters last year as a new government took the reins and laid out priorities. Improving France’s “welcome” was one of those — creating a true tourism policy for the first time.Pinel wasn’t shy in linking the cultural and commercial: She called tourism a lever for growth and jobs, both of which France desperately needs. The country’s economy is in recession, and unemployment is nearly 11 percent. So it cannot afford to ignore the tourism industry, which accounts for more than 7 percent of the country’s GDP, more than the auto industry, she said.But it could do a lot more: International visitors spent more than double in the US than they did in France in 2012 — US$126.2 billion, compared to US$53.7 billion, according to the UN World Tourism Organization. That despite the fact that France welcomed 20 percent more tourists.So why are tourists flocking to France but unwilling to part with their cash once they get there?Partially it’s because France tends to be a short-stay location.Pinel, the tourism minister, says regions should work together as partners, not competitors.“Our special difficulty is that we’re a country that is visited, notably the Ile-de-France region (around the capital) and Paris, but has trouble capturing visitors for a long time in other regions.”But the crowds of tourists descending on Paris are part of the problem.“It’s sometimes a bit difficult to marry the Parisians with their 30 million tourists,” says Audrey Epeche, who works in the office of the deputy mayor in charge of tourism. She attempts to explain the city’s reputation for rudeness.She adds that this tide of visitors every year — Paris is definitely among the most visited cities in the world — also leads to the petty crime the city has become known for. In April, employees at the Louvre walked off the job to protest swarms of pickpockets often operating in the museum. The Paris police department has created a guide in six languages on how to avoid thieves and scams.The government and city are determined to change what they can, including the reputation for snobbishness.Working on the hunch that the frigid welcome has dissuaded tourists from spending more, Paris’ Chamber of Commerce and its Regional Tourism Committee have create a guide for people working in hospitality.Called “Do You Speak Touriste?,” the guide focuses a lot on the obstacle of language.“When you go to a foreign country, and see that the person in front of you is at least trying to start the discussion in your language, a barrier breaks down,” says Quentin Boissy D’Anglas of the Chamber of Commerce.The guide — available in hard copy and online — offers a few phrases in the languages of the 11 most popular countries of origin for tourists. It also offers clues to what tourists are looking for: A Brazilian wants to feel he is seeing the “hidden” Paris and a German appreciates a handshake.The advice can seem simple: Most tourists — surprise! — are looking for good service. But Pauline Frommer notes that small matters of politesse can make a big difference on impressions. She suspects that part of the French reputation for rudeness in the US stems from Americans’ misunderstanding of the French rules.Frommer, co-publisher of the Frommer’s guide books and frommers.com, says she always encourages Americans to say “bonjour” when they enter a store — no matter how self-conscious they are about their French.“If you don’t, you may be treated rudely because it’s seen that you think you’re better than the shopkeeper,” she says. “There is more egalite here.”But Edouard Lefebvre from Comite Champs-Elysees, which represents the shops on the famous avenue, says the French themselves also need to be more flexible. For him, the lack of garbage cans on the avenue is a sign of how the French can sometimes ignore the comfort of tourists.A tourist “has come 7,000 kilometers to see the Champs-Elysees, the most beautiful avenue in the world, that embodies France and its prestige and its influence in the world, and there isn’t a garbage can,” he says, with disbelief.Bojana Galic, a 17-year-old from Chicago, who was visiting Paris with a dance troupe, said she and her 自存倉riends all lamented that the city was dirtier than they expected and were surprised at how hard it was to find a place to throw out trash.Still, the Champs-Elysees has a leg up on many other parts of Paris, since stores there won the right in 2009 to open on Sundays. Tradition and law conspire to shut down most shops — from grocery to clothing stores — throughout the capital, except in seven designated “tourist zones.” The world-famous department stores — Printemps, Galeries Lafayette and Le Bon Marche — are not included.That has led to concerns that Sunday closures are hurting tourism revenue.“Contrary to what we hear, what these clients don’t spend on the weekend, they won’t spend on another day simply because they will have already left the capital!” Jean-Bernard Bros, the deputy mayor in charge of tourism, wrote in a recent op-ed.And it’s not just Sundays: French life is still highly rhythmic, even in major cities. Lunch is from 12 to 2pm — pity the tourist who woke up late and wants anything more than a soggy sandwich at 3pm. Dinner is served from 8pm to 10pm. The “Do You Speak Touriste?” guide notes that Spaniards — notorious for midnight dinners — should especially be warned of this.In fact, one of the surprising hassles of Paris may be struggling to find a good meal at any hour. In the provinces, world-class restaurants often hide in unlikely places, delighting those who overlook shabby ambience to take a chance. But along the grand Parisian boulevards most frequented by visitors, good food can be elusive.Rebecca Magniant wrote in her journal after her first trip to Paris, at 18, that she loved the city but couldn’t stand the food. “Because as a first-time tourist, all we ended up eating in were the tourist traps,” said Magniant, who now runs Chic Shopping Paris, a tour company she founded 10 years ago.“You have very, very high-end, amazing food, but there’s a lot of crap out there, and people don’t know how to get to this middle ground where there’s really good everyday bistros.”Kevin Hart, an American pilot visiting France with his family, said they were warned by French friends not to eat out much in Paris, although they raved about meals in the countryside.The Harts, from Santa Barbara, California, were milling outside the Eiffel Tower, figuring out their next move after discovering that the iconic monument was shut for a strike.“The Sunday closures, the frequent blockages (strikes), the little incivilities, all these elements, all these little things lead tourists to say to themselves, France is wonderful, but it would be even better without the French,” lamented Arino, the consultant.What to do when Paris is closedA great debate rages in France over whether more shops should open on Sundays. In the meantime, here are some ideas of what to do in Paris on a day when much is closed:Head to the MaraisMany shops in this former Jewish quarter, turned Paris’ gay center and trendy shopping hot spot, follow tradition and stay closed on Saturday to open on Sunday. While the rest of Paris can feel sleepy, the Marais positively buzzes on Sundays.Visit an ethnic neighborhoodThe Little India and African markets near the Gare du Nord or the Chinatowns around the 13th arrondissement’s Avenue de Choisy and Belleville metro station in Paris’ east are all packed on Sundays. Join the crowds hunting for curry or dim sum.Take a day tripThere are several beautiful chateaux just outside Paris: Versailles, Vaux le Vicomte, Fontainebleau. Monet’s house and gardens at Giverny are also open during the spring, summer and fall. Sundays are good for exploring these mansions and having a picnic on the grounds.Head to a marketMany food markets are open on Sunday mornings, and the flea markets on Paris’ periphery, like those at Saint-Ouen and Vanves, are also busy on the weekends.Visit a parkThe Luxembourg and Tuileries gardens are Paris’ most famous, but the city is also edged by two woods: Vincennes in the east and Boulogne in the west. The Parc de Bagatelle, within the Bois de Boulogne, has beautiful rose gardens and a chateau of its own. You can rent a rowboat on the lake in Vincennes.How to be niceWhat does an American expect from Paris? What’s the best way of making an Italian feel welcome?Paris’ Chamber of Commerce and Industry and its Regional Tourism Council have teamed up to produce a guide for hotel owners, restaurateurs and shopkeepers in the hopes that it will help shake off the city’s reputation for snobbishness.Here are some excerpts from “Do You Speak Touriste?” — a guide to the cultural habits of some of Paris’ most frequent visitors:AMERICANS: spend the largest portion of their budget on lodging and like to eat dinner at 6pm. An American “doesn’t hesitate to introduce himself by his first name.” They especially enjoy the beauty of Paris lit up at night.CHINESE: appreciate personalized suggestions about where to find the best shopping — which is what they spend most of their money on while in Paris. A smile and a hello in Chinese goes a long way.SPANISH: travel mostly with their families and generally eat dinner quite late, so warn them about opening and closing times. They often come by car and are interested in free events.FRENCH: don’t want to be treated like tourists and often eat foreign cuisine while in Paris. They spend on average the least of the 11 nationalities surveyed.ITALIANS: can be impatient tourists, but a little attention to their children goes a long way.JAPANESE: expect comfort and cleanliness, but are unlikely to complain while abroad. However, they will pass on their criticisms once home. 迷你倉新蒲崗