A few days ago a reader wanted to know how much European tourism declined in the wake of terrorist attacks.
Today, a translated Le Monde (The World) headline reads “After the Attacks, Foreign Tourists Leave France“.
In the first six months of the year, the number of overnight stays of foreign tourists in France fell by an average of 10%, due to concerns over the attacks, said Secretary of State for tourism promotion, Matthias Fekl, in an interview with the Sunday newspaper.
Decline in Numbers
- In Paris, the hotel occupancy fell by 9.8 points to 78.1% in July compared to last year, according to figures from the Economic Observatory of Paris tourism.
- Airline reservations for American tourists declined by 19.2% between 25 and 31 July, while they were up 14% between June 27 and July 3.
- Airline reservations of the British fell 23% last week of July, under the combined effect of the attacks, the Brexit and the fall of the pound, according to Thomas Deschamps, economic and Observatory Paris tourism statistics.
- The festival of Bayonne posted a decline in attendance of 20%.
- The Loire castles, one of the most visited castles in France, experienced a general decline in attendance of 6%, but a fall of 20% for Japanese customers, according to its CEO Jean d’Haussonville, quoted in Le Parisien last week.
- The firm Protourisme estimates convention cancellations and works council bookings related to business tourism will be down 5% to 10% in September compared to last year.
Mike “Mish” Shedlock
