Why does France combine the roles of Minister for Business and Minister for Tourism?
Because people too often tend to forget the absolutely essential economic importance of tourism, which represents 6% of our GDP. People also forget that the key players in the tourism sector are businesses too, confronted with the same problems as small and medium-sized businesses in other sectors. What’s more, our hotels, cafes and restaurants, our gastronomy, contribute to the welcome we offer and help make France – which has the world’s highest number of tourists – attractive. Does the success of the simplified methods for paying social charges and tax – where you pay soon after earning your money and only on what you have earned – make you think it might be a good idea to simplify procedures for other kinds of small and medium-sized businesses as well? I am obviously in favour of anything that can simplify life for entrepreneurs and allow them to devote all their energy to their business. I think that lightening the administrative procedures that shackle French business is more nec
