December 27, 2003	Saturday	Ziqa’ad 3, 1424

PARIS: Tourists may love Paris, but living in the French capital is not all about the Eiffel Tower, the buzzing cafes or Notre Dame cathedral.

Many exasperated residents associate Paris with the noise, pollution and traffic jams which is driving them to desert the city in their thousands for a quieter life in the country.

To the annoyance of the capital’s authorities, one picturesque southwestern region has even launched a media campaign to lure away city dwellers, with resounding success.

“You have 15 days to leave Paris,” blared advertisements plastered across newspapers, television and radio. “Fed up with pollution, transport time, lack of space? Welcome to Lot-et-Garonne”, it continued.

Officials from the region, situated between Toulouse and Bordeaux, set up shop in central Paris for two weeks in November, advising Parisians on how to start their own business in the countryside.

“The phone rang non-stop and I had people queuing outside my office,” said regional representative Jean-Marc Fillieule, who fielded enquiries from more than 4,000 curious Parisians.

“We have over 2,000 businesses in our area whose bosses will be retiring over the next four to five years and who can’t find a successor. We put these firms in touch with Parisians who want to make a new start in the country,” he said.

Some 160,000 people a year turn their backs on Greater Paris and demographic experts estimate France could see its population shifting south dramatically.

Surveys show roughly a third of all French dream about setting up their own business, and 60 per cent of Parisians fantasize about relocating to the countryside, with the southwest their favourite destination.—Reuters