It was a subdued Christmas Eve in Paris on Thursday, with tourist numbers down, security bolstered at shops and churches, and locals still on edge after November jihadist attacks
It was a subdued Christmas Eve in Paris on Thursday, with tourist numbers down, security bolstered at shops and churches, and locals still on edge after November jihadist attacks
Heavily armed soldiers patrolled outside the iconic Galeries Lafayette and Pri-ntemps department stores in the city centre, still doi-ng a brisk last-minute Chr-istmas trade but notably less crowded than usual.
“It’s a lot quieter,” said taxi driver Belkassem. “I feel bad for the hotels and restaurants because there are a lot fewer tourists in town this year and this is a crucial time of year for them.”
The famous “bateaux-mouches” boats that carry millions of tourists each year along the Seine have reported a 15-30 per cent drop in business since the attacks of November 13, which left 130 dead and hundreds injured.
It is not only France that is feeling the tension this festive season. Christians around the world are bracing for potential attacks at a symbolic time of year — even in China where the US and British embassies warned of possible violence against Westerners in Beijing. But Paris — the world’s most-visited city — has naturally taken the worst blow in the wake of November attacks, with flight reservations down nearly a third compared with a year earlier.
Tourist guide Cecile Reverdy, who translates mostly for Chinese visitors, described a massive fall in business from some countries.
“There are around 30 per cent less Chinese — only 30 per cent because the Chinese are pretty daring,” she told France television.
