The Paris tourist board has taken the bizarre decision to combat falling tourist numbers and a reputation for unfriendliness by launching a smile campaign, Reuters reports.

In an effort to tackle the city's reputation for unfriendliness, the tourist board is asking Parisians to smile more, and has appointed 'smile ambassadors' to welcome tourists at the most popular sites.

Visitor figures for 2009 have fallen by 17 percent since January, compared with the same time last year, according to Reuters.