The billionaire chief executive of the Chinese conglomerate Tiens has given 6,400 of his best salespeople a vacation that started in Paris and ended with a parade on France's Cote d'Azur, the Associated Press reports.

CEO Li Jinyuan said he was celebrating the company's 20th anniversary by rewarding his staff and aimed for the world record in spelling out a phrase in human bodies.

As their vacation wound down, the employees massed on the coastal promenade in Nice and, dressed in identical sky blue hats and T-shirts, spelled out the words "Tiens' dream is Nice in the Cote d'Azur."

Jinyuan was greeted by France's foreign affairs minister, Laurent Fabius, mid-week in Paris.

French media estimated the trip's cost at 13-20 million euros ($14.5-$22.3 million).