Paris remains world's most visited city in 2004

Paris, Jan 17: Paris remained the most visited city in the world in 2004, with 25 million tourists pouring into the French capital, 500,000 more than in 2003, the Paris Tourism Board has announced.
Officials said an increase in the number of French tourists visiting their capital had helped boost the figure, but also cited increases in the number of U.S. travellers (a 10 percent rise) and Japanese tourists (a 15 percent hike).
The French capital also remained number one in the world in 2004 for welcoming the largest number of conferences and trade shows, with 272 such meetings last year, besting Vienna and Geneva, with 188 conferences each.
The Paris Tourism Board released the figures at the inauguration by mayor Bertrand Delanoe of its new headquarters in the city center, between the Louvre museum and the Opera Garnier.