Paris Region Lost $15.5 Billion In 2020 Amid ‘Historic’ Tourism Drop

The Paris region was unable to escape the ravages of the pandemic that battered the tourism industry in 2020. According to a new report, 33.1 million fewer tourists visited Paris last year causing tourism revenues to fall $15.5 billion.

The Regional Tourism Committee of Paris Ile-de-France released the figures on Monday, calling them a “historic drop.” In total, only 17.5 million tourists visited Paris and the surrounding areas, a disappointing number given that the country was not under lockdown for most of the summer and the early fall seasons.

Still, international travel was largely blocked, with some brief reprieves for visitors from other European nations. Instead, the bulk of those visitors, 12.6 million, were French. Hotel stays dropped 78% for international visitors and 56% for French tourists.

Not surprisingly, many of Paris’ most popular tourist attractions also suffered. The Louvre museum saw attendance fall 72% in 2020 while visitors to Versailles fell 76%.

So far, the news in 2021 isn’t much more hopeful. The number of visitors to the region was down 77.5% in January and 74.5% in January.

The Paris region is now under a new lockdown as Covid cases soar, driven by variants. There are growing rumors that President Emmanuel Macron may impose a third national lockdown this week even as the nation’s vaccine campaign gathers momentum.

Source: Paris Region Lost $15.5 Billion In 2020 Amid ‘Historic’ Tourism Drop (forbes.com)