Paris's historic Marais district, which normally attracts huge numbers tourists with its chic boutiques, museums and restaurants, today it seems completely empty. Tourism in the French capital is in decline as visitors shun one of the world's most visited cities during the Olympics. "The second half of July was absolutely catastrophic for cafes and bars in Paris," Remy Calmon, director of "SNEG and Co”, a trade union representing food and beverage businesses in the French capital, told DV.
According to Calmon, restaurants located in the high-security zones near the Seine river were particularly affected, which were almost blocked for days before the lavish opening ceremony. Restaurant sales have fallen by more than 50%. Some of them worry that they will not be able to pay rent and wages. "It brought back bad memories of the Covid era," Calmon says. The French government has promised to look into possible compensation for businesses, but the big question is whether tourists will return when security restrictions around the opening ceremony are eased.
Failure in a year of high expectations
The data so far is not encouraging. Major airlines say the Olympics have dampened the usual summer appetite for holiday travel to the French capital, leading to thin bookings and empty seats. On July 1, Air France-KLM reported that traffic to and from Paris was lagging behind other major European cities. Many people avoid Paris in order to save themselves unnecessary stress - in addition to traffic jams, possible strikes and even terrorist attacks, Gael Boasclair from the Agency for renting furnished apartments "PerfectlyParis” tells DV.
Even smaller tourism businesses are struggling. For example "The perfect picture of Paris” - a company that offers tourists photo sessions in the sights of the French capital. The owner of the company, Sofia Pagan, assures that her sales have dropped sharply - from an average of 20 customers a month, now there are only three. "We all thought this year was going to be really good for us because of the Olympics. It turned out to be completely different,” says Pagan.
High prices repel tourists
One of the main reasons for this decline is the high prices of everything from overnight stays to subway tickets. Many hotels raised their prices to take advantage of the expected increase in tourists, and after the spring season, when bookings were weak, they lowered them. However, average prices rose by nearly 70% in July this year, from €202 last year to €342 during the games, according to the Paris Tourism Board. Many Parisians also planned to rent out their homes at inflated prices and cash in on the expected surge in tourists. But this adventure did not pay off.
Forecasts have been lowered from 15 million tourists to visit the Olympics to 11 million. "Most of them will come to Paris only for one or two or four or five nights at the most. "They also probably have friends, family or friends of friends in Paris," Gael Boasclair said. A look at some of the popular booking sites shows that thousands of rental apartments are still sitting empty as prices have fallen and offers still far outstrip demand.
Can things change?
Still, some hope that things will return to normal and that sports fans and Olympic ticket holders will be able to make up for some of the lack of tourists. "We are optimistic that bars and restaurants can recover some of their losses if the number of visitors increases in August," says Remy Calmon.
Many of the Olympic and Paralympic events are held in the heart of Paris, such as outdoor swimming, beach volleyball, cycling and the marathon. As a result, many roads, bridges and subway stations are closed. For photographer Sofia Pagan, the biggest challenge is finding locations for photos of her three clients in August. She says most of the iconic sites being sought, such as the Eiffel Tower or Notre Dame Cathedral, are at least partially covered by Olympic installations, logos and security barriers and are now difficult to access. "I'm not even sure where to photograph my clients who come for these beautiful views of Paris. I think I might have to look for completely new places," says Pagan.
Author: Sonia Falnikar