Mayor Kip Holden announced this afternoon that he will join the North American network of a new group called the International Association of Francophone Mayors, which will work to promote French heritage, build tourism and attract new business.
The network is a new initiative proposed by Lafayette Parish President Joey Durel. It will be anchored in the City of Quebec, Canada, and the city-parish of Lafayette. Holden says he met with a delegation of 50 mayors in Lafayette this week, marking the first time the organization had met outside Canada. The meeting was held there because Lafayette was the first city in the U.S. to join the association.
Holden says he will now invite some of the participating mayors to visit Baton Rouge in hopes of expanding cultural exchanges, as well as introduce them to local business and civic leaders, schools and universities.
“Every opportunity we have to introduce Baton Rouge to new markets helps keep our local economy strong,” Holden says in a prepared release.
