Paris Looses $846 Million in Tourism
 

Sorry to read this. I'm doing my part with our trip later this year.

From Travel & Leisure
http://www.travelandleisure.com/trav...source=twitter

I am not sure if I am doing my part... For those traveling to Paris this year with refundable booking you made earlier this year, look at the price again. Last week, I rebooked the same room for 20% less than the price I booked in spring.

It sucks for paris but as a tourist who is not in the least put off visiting paris , its fine for me, less of the other tourists to stand behind in lines! Lol

Frankly this is a relief for most Parisians. The city has been getting more and more crowded every year with new record-breaking numbers of tourists. It was time for a pause.

Now the tourist industry can analyze where there is room for improvement and take some measures. The tourists will be back all too quickly anyway.

It's a bit like global warming.

<i>Frankly this is a relief for most Parisians. </i>

As I make no money from the tourism business, I couldn´t agree more.

Oh, I'm doing my part, too. Trip planned for 2 weeks in Feb, and bringing along a friend who is a new convert to enjoying Paris. Will continue to try to shore up the city . . .!!

s

Not only Paris, but also the Riviera suffered - waiting to see the figures yet.
However they say it is one of the best years ever for the 'Vlaamse kust' - belgian seaside.

Tourism in the Dordogne is down about 20% also, according to the local papers. On the one hand, it's nice not to have to fight my way through the markets or get stuck in traffic just trying to do errands. On the other hand, we have many merchant friends, and they are hurting.

On the other hand, we have many merchant friends, and they are hurting.

Oh, but it's "time for a pause" so Paris can figure things out. Sorry, not buying that one.

Kerouac is right.
Tourism on the Riviera has been taken for granted for the last 25 years.
Now they are suffering year after year since 2008 and we start to see things evolve.
Like : some restaurants closed down and the ones remaining are of better quality; restaurants that formerly opened 3 months a year don't exist anymore; waiters are nicer, prices are no longer increasing but not yet decreasing etc.
In the long run, it is extermely positive.

Nobody would like to go to Paris and find rude waiters unconcerned everywhere since they would know that if they turn you down they'll get 10 others tourist, wouldn't they ?

Let's not forget that the 'hospitality industry' is just like farmers -- they double the figures of the bad news to make sure that people will pay attention.

According to this article, tourism is down 5.4% for the first half of 2016: http://www.lefigaro.fr/conjoncture/2...-etrangers.php

Paris has been pounded into so many peoples' heads that they just can't see any other alternatives.

I think it's time for a lot of people who are thinking about jumping on the Paris Bandwagon - just because a lot of other people tell them that they "must do" this city, or they'll regret it for the rest of their lives - to take a step back and really think about whether or not they simply must visit Paris or would rather go someplace that would interest them more.

Perhaps now that the apartment situation will be getting under control, it will be easier for some people to think about going somewhere else - especially somewhere much less expensive, and especially if they are travelling with family.

Hikrguy and I are going for a week in mid-October -- I haven't been there since 1986 and it's his first time. We are looking forward to somewhat lighter crowds. We are looking forward to walking in the cool autumn air (hopefully cool!)

<<Frankly this is a relief for most Parisians.

As I make no money from the tourism business, I couldn´t agree more.>>

I understand those sentiments as I feel the same way about where I live (Wash DC) as tourists can cause a lot of problems. Unlike Paris, for some odd reason I don't understand, many tourists want to drive in the middle of DC. THey don't really care if they are clogging the streets, contribuing to pollution, etc., and then they whine when they can't get all-day parking for free on the street or that a garage costs $25-40 a day. It is crazy, they would never think that reasonable in the middle of NYC if they were visiting it. SO lower tourism may hurt some hotels and streetcart/souvenir vendors here, but I wouldn't really care, if tourism were down, as this city has plenty of business otherwise.

BUt I also think tourism has really exponentiated in Paris and perhaps is too high, just being more isn't always better. I will admit that even in DC, where many museums are free, you don't see some of the crazy lines like you do in Paris. Paris has really changed in the last couple decades, unfortunately. It isn't as nice as it used to be in many ways.

Tourism in Paris will bounce back and as kerouac shows it is barely down - but that may be because folks had locked in non-refundable flights, etc - next year will be more telling.

Paris has had terrorism for decades now- kerouac and sass's desperate wish that tourist masses will disappear is whistling Dixie though I hear what you are saying.

I also live in DC and at times would welcome less tourists. However to say DC has enough business without tourism is a touch naive as tourism is a large part of the DC economy. In 2015 tourism brought in over $7Billion.

I also agree that just as tourism rebounded in NYC and DC after the 9/11 attacks so will Paris.

My last trip to Paris was two years ago in May, and it was very crowded with tourists. I'm looking forward to my mid-October trip coming up, and hopefully for me tourism won't "bounce back" before then! Seems like a great time to go, with the dollar up against the euro, hotels offering bargains, cooler weather, etc. I'm taking advantage of a situation, as I didn't decide to go until about a month ago. Let's say I'll helping Paris tourism, if not some of you Paris residents!

Well, I am sure tourism in Paris will bounce back. I am excited to be going back after missing last year. I promise to be on my best behavior for those who are tired of the tourists (I understand but you do live in a fabulous city)!

I don't know why everyone hates the crowds. I feel Paris, and any city in general, is livelier and much more fun when it's full of tourists.

Waiting for the big hit in Florida with the zika virus. Disney is putting bug spray in all the rooms at the parks now. People have booked and are still coming but think of Miami. I know we complain about the tourist but the hospitality industry thrives because of them. Just part of living in an area tourist love.

<< don't know why everyone hates the crowds>>

Shouldn't that be obvious?

We were in Paris for a week in early August...we walked straight in to Notre Dame, Saint Chappelle, Conciergerie etc.

The only line we saw was for the Eiffel Tower at about 2pm on a sunny day. We decided to come back the next morning at opening time, and there absolutely no line for the stairs.

We definitely appreciated the lack of lines to see attractions.

I don't know why everyone hates the crowds. I feel Paris, and any city in general, is livelier and much more fun when it's full of tourists.>

Me too but if you lived there I guess it would get tiring even though the crowds I think are localized in a relatively few places.

Well I guess 'nobody goes to Paris any more because it's too crowded'?

I wouldn't trade my bi-annual trips to Paris for any other city in the world.

I think it is hypocritical that tourists don't like the crowds. If you don't like the crowds don't contribute to the problem. Not many places in the world as good as Paris.
I have never seen crowds like lunchtime in Oxford Street London in 2013. The people in both cities manage to be polite and helpful despite all the issues that the crowds bring.

A big city without crowds would be downright creepy. What would do that? Plague? Nuclear terror? Zombie apocalypse?

Paris is far from empty. We appreciate everybody's concern but really we are doing just fine in Paris.

+1 on Kerouac.

I have a theory about the crowds issue, which I came up with because I hear it from all my friends who travel about every place they travel to! My theory is that people remember their first trip, or first few trips, to a much-loved place in an idealized way. On subsequent trips, which are still great, they notice the negatives, crowds being the most obvious when we're talking about popular destinations such as Paris.

There are corollaries to my theory: familiarity, e.g., the better you get at navigating the Metro/Subway/what have you, the more you notice the slow tourists that clog your way; and advancing age, which makes people grumpy in general.

Of course, some places really are more crowded than they used to be.

I doubt anyone, tourist or resident, would personally notice a 10-20% decrease in crowds, but it's a steep decline for the tourism industry.

Of course Paris is ok despite any drops in tourism. However wonder how individuals who rely on tourism for their income feel?

As I posted on another thread in July, I was back in Paris in June and there were hardly any crowds. My friend and I walked straight into the Museum D'Orsay, Grand Palais, Louis Vuitton Foundation, and other places. The ropes were out, for crowd control, but there were no crowds.

Interesting in that article that as for the Asian market, that there's a reported 46.5% drop for Japanese, 19.6% for Chinese, but that U.S. visitors are least deterred at only a 5.7% drop.

Happy Travels!