French Tourism Slumps as Terror Attacks Spook Foreign Travelers
- Visits from travelers outside Europe drops, minister tells JDD
- Paris is worst hit with drop starting before latest killings
A French national flag flies near the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France on Sunday, Nov. 15, 2015. French investigators are still reconstructing how three teams of Islamic State militants killed at least 129 people in coordinated attacks in Paris on Friday.
Photographer: Simon Dawson/BloombergTerrorist attacks are taking their toll on France’s tourism industry, with Paris bearing the brunt of a drop in visits by holidaymakers from outside Europe.
Overnight stays fell about 10 percent on average this year through July, with high-spending travelers from the U.S., Asia and the Persian Gulf states reacting strongly to the attacks, French Secretary of State for Tourism Matthias Fekl said in an interview with the Journal du Dimanche Sunday. Luxury accommodation was the worst hit while travelers from Europe haven’t canceled their plans, the minister was cited as saying.