Days of violent protests across France after a teenager was shot by police have begun to affect the country’s tourism industry, with hotels and restaurants facing cancellations and some suffering losses amid the unrest.
release:
Since the death of 17-year-old Naher in a traffic jam on the outskirts of Paris on Tuesday, “our hotel members have experienced a wave of cancellations in all areas affected by devastation and conflict,” says chef Thierry · Thierry Marx said, chairman of the main association of employers in the hotel and catering industry.
Marx said on Friday that he received daily alerts from industry professionals that their businesses had been “raided, looted and vandalized, including some restaurants and cafes”.
He added: “Our premises are essentially places of hospitality and sometimes even places of refuge and help in crisis situations. They must not suffer consequences for not stirring up anger, and we condemn these actions.”
Marx wants authorities to do everything they can to keep hotel and restaurant workers safe in the world’s most popular tourist destination.
The French retail federation (FCD) has also called for increased police security around stores, said Jacques Creyssel, general manager of the French retail federation (FCD).
He said the unrest “triggered real scenes of looting” and “more than a hundred large and medium-sized food or non-food stores were vandalized, looted and even burned”.
Kressel said the incidents were “extremely serious and extremely costly” and he had asked the ministers of the economy, home affairs and trade to take action.
The Île-de-France Chamber of Commerce in Paris said it was ensuring the mobilization of its teams to provide “the necessary support and technical assistance, especially with regard to ongoing operations, insurance compensation, etc…” to traders and managers of affected companies.
Security Question
The GHR organization of independent hotels and restaurants in France regrets that “foreign countries (television networks) have started broadcasting images of fire and blood in Paris, which do not correspond to reality”.
“Will the violence and unrest continue and lead to a real wave of cancellations? That’s the risk,” managing director Franck Trouet told AFP.
“Asian tourists, in particular, are very concerned about their safety and may not hesitate to postpone or cancel their trip,” he warned.
“Tourists who are familiar with us, such as Belgians or Brits, who themselves have problems in the suburbs, will be able to understand these things,” said Didier Arino, general manager of Protourisme.
But in the end, he said, “it was like we were running a negative publicity campaign worth tens of millions of euros for destination France”.
The Federation of Tobacco Manufacturers was also outraged by “the looting and looting of shops, which included 91 tobacconists, during the last days of clashes”.
Jean-Francois said: “If this continues, the organization of the Games could become very complicated, especially since most of the events will be held in the Seine-Saint-Denis region, a poor region north of Paris. region.” Rial, Director of the Paris Tourist Office.
(AFP)