Dallas City Wire

DALLAS — Mayor Eric L. Johnson next week will travel to Paris and Dijon, France — Dallas’s Sister City — to strengthen business and tourism ties between the two nations.

The official visit will mark Mayor Johnson’s first trip to France since opening the Trade Office of France — the achievement of a major goal in his administration’s international affairs agenda — in the Dallas International District last December. 

Mayor Johnson will spend the next week promoting Dallas and taking part in high-level meetings with government officials and business leaders.

“Dallas has become an indispensable city on the global stage,” said Mayor Johnson. “We are a dynamic, thriving, and growing metropolis where the American Dream is still alive and well. And we are thrilled to share our story with — and learn from — our nation’s oldest ally, France. 

“It is clear that both Dallas and France have much to gain by bolstering our relationship in the years ahead, and I am excited to continue to build on connections that date back centuries.”

Today, Dallas has substantial economic connections and shared interests with France. In 2021, trade between the Dallas region and France totaled more than $1.75 billion, according to the Dallas Regional Chamber. DFW Airport also currently offers two direct flights daily to Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport. In addition, North Dallas is home to the Dallas International School, an important French educational institution. 

In addition, the people of Dallas have embraced Bastille Day, celebrating it annually on July 14 in collaboration with VisitDallas and the European American Chamber of Commerce.

Because of these connections, Mayor Johnson courted French officials and community partners to open a Trade Office in 2022. The same year, Dijon Mayor François Rebsamen first invited Mayor Johnson to visit and celebrate the Dallas-Dijon relationship as the two cities celebrated 65 years of official relations. Consul General of France Valerie Baraban also extended an invitation and helped plan the itinerary for this trip.

The trip will highlight the exchange of innovative strategies in international relations, city design, security, as well as arts and culture. In both Paris and Dijon, Mayor Johnson plans to meet with top economic, cultural, and financial industry leaders as well as government officials to invigorate trade and commerce between the cities and Dallas. 

Mayor Johnson has made international affairs a high priority during his time in office, saying it will be vital to the city’s economic competitiveness going forward in a changing world. Within months of taking office, he established the Mayor’s International Advisory Council, a group of distinguished Dallas residents who formerly held the rank of United States ambassador, to provide him with guidance and to help lead international initiatives.

The mayor was unable to travel internationally for most of his first term because of worldwide pandemic restrictions. But in the last two years, he has also visited Mexico, Qatar, and Germany in efforts to promote Dallas.

Original source can be found here.