A French soldier staff sergeant Baudouin guards the iconic entrance to the Louvre museum in Paris, Friday, May 13, 2016. (AP)
Paris has suffered in 2016, as terrorist attacks, strikes and floods have not only affected countless lives, but have reportedly cost the popular tourist destination an estimated $850 million in lost revenue.
According to Reuters, Paris region tourist board head Frederic Valletoux announced Tuesday that the tourism industry has suffered a major blow, and the government should be setting up a relief plan and that major investments in the industry must be made to protect jobs and jump start tourism.
Through the first half of 2016, Paris’ tourism industry reportedly lost 750 million Euros ($849.38 million.)
Tourism in Paris accounts for seven percent of France’s national gross domestic product and 13 percent in the Ile-de-France region.
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“It's time to realize that the tourism sector is going through an industrial disaster. This is no longer the time for communication campaigns but to set up a relief plan,” Valletoux told Reuters.
In the Ile-de-France region alone, 500,000 people have jobs linked to tourism, and Valletoux is urging Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault to meet with local tourism officials. With hotel stays down 8.5 percent in the region, officials are calling for action to help boast local economies.
In terms of tourist nationalities and how they have decreased, Japanese visitors were down 46.2 percent in the first half of 2106, Russians were down 35 percent, Chinese were down 19.6 percent and Americans were down 5.7 percent.
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