Only 2.6 million tourists visited Paris last year, down from 10 million in 2019.
Few tourists stared at the Mona Lisa or wandered the streets of Paris this summer, hoping that this top tourist destination will see brighter days after last year’s pandemic-related desertion.
According to data from the Tourism Bureau, the City of Light received 3.6 million to 4.7 million tourists from June to August, down from 10 million in 2019, when the number was before the emergence of the coronavirus and disrupting international travel.
Only 2.6 million tourists visited Paris last year.
Didier Arino, the director of the travel company Protourisme, told AFP: “If customers from far away do not come, the impact will be considerable.”
France relaxed travel regulations before the summer, placing countries in a red, orange, and green color coding system to determine whether tourists need to be tested for Covid-19 before arrival, and whether there is a compelling reason to visit or quarantine.
Museums and other cultural venues reopen after a long period of closure, but visitors must present a vaccination certificate or a negative test certificate.
But the number of tourists in Paris is still disappointing.
‘Reshape yourself’
Arino said that the occupancy rate of Paris hotels was worse than that of other places in France, with revenues falling by 60%.
Romain Jouhaud is the general manager of 4 Roues Sous 1 Parapluie, which provides tour guide services for classic French cars in the capital. He said he had only 120 customers this summer, compared to 360 in 2019.
Most of his clients are from the United States and Australia.
“We are trying to get more French customers, but our problem is that our average price (150 euros) is a bit high,” he said, noting that French people usually spend less than foreigners.
According to data from the FNGIC Tour Guide Association, tour guides are also affected by the lack of tourists. Activities in the Île-de-France region, including Paris, have dropped by more than 80%.
“Paris is a mirror of the great capital of Europe,” Arino said. “They all have problems. The more they rely on foreign customers, the more difficult it is.”
On the Seine, the turnover of the tourist boat company Vedettes de Paris has fallen by 50% compared to 2019. French customers used to account for half of passengers; they accounted for 65% of this year.
The company adjusted by adding an “aperitif cruise” and setting up a petanque area on its dock.
“We learned to reinvent ourselves and return the Seine and the Eiffel Tower to the Parisians,” said Marie Bozzonie, the company’s director.
The Eiffel Tower reopened in mid-July after being interrupted by the pandemic for nine months, but there are only 13,000 visitors a day, half of the usual number.
Approximately 50% are French, compared to 20% in the past.
A similar scene appeared in the Greven Museum, which features wax figures of celebrities.
Half of the tourists are usually foreigners. According to Francois Frassier, director of the Compagnie des Alpes, which owns museums and theme parks, this percentage has dropped to 10% this year.
