Paris attempts to lure back tourists
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Paris - The French tourist authorities have launched an aggressive campaign to promote Paris as a holiday destination after a disastrous fall in visitors from abroad in the second half of last year, writes Mary Dejevsky.
The scheme, led by Air France in conjunction with the Paris tourist office and its municipal transport company, offers an all-in price of less than pounds 100 for an air ticket, two nights in a three-star hotel, a weekend travel card and a museums pass, for visitors from North America and Europe, including Britain. The promotion starts on Friday and lasts until the end of March.
It is designed to counter the effect of boycotts after the resumption of French nuclear tests last June, terrorist bombs in summer and autumn, and the three-week transport strike at the end of the year.
The effects of the anti-nuclear boycott are hard to quantify and have been played down by the authorities. American and Japanese tourism was particularly affected by the bombs, while European tourists were more affected by the strikes.
The losses, now being assessed, are huge. Air France estimates it lost 300m francs (pounds 39m) in receipts and cancellations between the end of November and mid-December and says the effects are still being felt. Paris local transport is estimated to have suffered a revenue loss of F500m to F600m. Hotels, restaurants and shops were all severely affected.
Tourism from Britain, however, appears to have stood up relatively well, despite the weakness of the pound.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments