Paris’ historic Marais district, which usually draws hordes of tourists to its chic boutiques, museums, and restaurants, seems quite empty these days. Tourism in the French capital is facing a downturn, as visitors avoid one of the world’s most visited cities during the Olympics.
“The second half of July has been absolutely catastrophic for cafes and bars in Paris,” Remi Calmon, director of SNEG and Co, a trade union representing food and beverage businesses in the French capital, told DW.
“The streets are deserted; the Parisians have fled. We had metal barriers fencing in cafe terraces in restricted zones for the opening ceremony, blocking the view. Some roads and metro stations are closed, resulting in few to no clients,” said Calmon.
Particularly hard-hit restaurants, Calmon said, were those located inside high-security zones close to the Seine River, subjected to a near-lockdown for days before the lavish opening ceremony last week. Restaurant owners have seen sales plunge by more than 50%. Some are concerned about paying rent and salaries. “It’s brought back bad memories of the Covid-era,” said Calmon.
The French government has vowed to address possible compensation for businesses, but the big question is whether tourists will flock back when security restrictions around the opening ceremony are eased.
Skipping the City of Light
The figures so far aren’t encouraging. Major airlines say the Olympic Games have dampened the usual summer appetite for holiday trips to the French capital, leading to sluggish bookings and empty seats.
Delta foresees a $100 million hit from June to August, while Air France-KLM said that it expects a €150 million ($162,3 million) to €170 million ($184 million) drop in revenue from the Games in the third quarter.
On July 1, the airline said that traffic to and from Paris was lagging behind other major European cities. Not only has the interest diminished, but “international markets show a significant avoidance of Paris,” Air France-KLM said on its website.
“A lot of people are avoiding Paris because they don’t want to deal with the stress of potentially overcrowded metros during the Olympics, of traffic congestion, possible strikes, possible terrorist attacks,” Gail Boisclair, who runs PerfectlyParis, a furnished apartment rentals agency, told DW.
Many of Boisclair’s returning clients are business travelers from the US, who have decided to skip Paris and head to other European destinations instead. They’ve postponed their visit to the French capital till next year.
Even smaller tourism ventures are feeling the pinch. For example, Photo Perfect Paris, a company that offers tourists photo shoots in the French capital’s landmarks.
Business owner and photographer, Sophia Pagan, told DW her sales have gone down from an average of 20 clients a month to just three clients during the Olympics period.
“Everyone I’ve spoken to in tourism, has all agreed that we thought it was going to be a gold rush during the Olympics, a really amazing year. But it didn’t turn out that way at all,” Pagan said.
High prices putting off visitors
One main reason for this slump is the high prices for everything from accommodation and hotels to metro tickets. Many hotels raised rates to take advantage of an expected tourism bump, only to slash them following a spring season of slow bookings.
Still, average rates are up nearly 70% this July, from €202 euros ($219) last year to €342 ($370) during the Olympic period, according to Paris’ tourism board.
Many Parisians also planned on renting out their homes at inflated prices and cashing in on an expected surge in tourists. But that gamble hasn’t paid off.
Projections have fallen from 15 million tourists visiting during the Olympics to 11 million. The Paris tourism office says around 1.5 million visitors are expected to come from abroad for the Games, while the bulk of Olympic ticket holders are French residents.
“Most of them will only be coming to Paris for a night or two or a maximum of four to five nights. They also probably have friends, family, or friends of friends in Paris,” Gail Boisclair said. “As a result, not a lot of them will be renting apartments or staying in hotels.”
A look at some of the popular booking sites shows that thousands of rental apartments still lie empty as prices have plummeted and offers still far exceed demand.
Could things change?
Still, some are hoping that things may bounce back to normal as the games take off and that sports fans and Olympic ticket holders might make up for some of the shortfall in tourists.
“We’re optimistic that bars and restaurants can recover some of their losses if visitor numbers rise in August,” said Remi Calmon. “The Olympics are great for France’s reputation and are a festive event. But so far, there’s been nothing festive about it for us. A lot depends on the security measures we’ll be subject to in the coming weeks.”
Many of the Olympic and Paralympic venues are due to take place in the heart of Paris, with open water swimming and triathlon events in the Seine, beach volleyball at the Eiffel Tower, cycling events, and the marathon, all snaking through the historic city center. As a result, many roads, bridges, and metro stations are closed.
For photographer Sophia Pagan, the biggest challenge is figuring out photo locations for her three clients in August. She said that most of the iconic monuments in demand, like the Eiffel Tower or the Notre Dame Cathedral, are at least partially covered with Olympic installations, logos, and security barriers and are now hard 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 entirely new locations,” Pagan said.