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France Tourism Leaders Say Riots in Nice, Paris, Lyon Are Catastrophic
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Riots in Nice, Paris, Lyon labelled catastrophic by tourism chief. France's tourism sector fears damage to appeal and international visitor numbers.
7 outlets told this the same way.
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Tourism fears spread
France's tourism sector worried about the impact of riots as Christelle Cassagne, head of the ADN Tourisme body covering the country's tourism institutions, said, "The surge of violence in the centres of Nice, Paris, Lyon -- it's catastrophic,". Didier Arino, head of the consulting and research firm Protourisme, said the impact of a day of rioting in the heart of Paris caused "around a one-percent cancellation rate for the monthly count" in the days following.
Arino said the effect would depend on whether new violence broke out in the coming weeks, and he cautioned, "watch out you don't underestimate the effects from repeated incidents." France's tourism concerns also tracked travel advisories, with the article saying that several countries, including the United States, China and Germany issued travel advisories for their citizens in France.
Tourists weigh risk
Nathalia Benning, visiting from Recife, Brazil, told Le Monde.fr that her family called to warn her, saying, "My parents and all my relatives in Brazil called to tell me not to go into Paris with the babies because it was dangerous,". Rongwin Zhu, a 29-year-old tourist from China, said she showed a video of an electric bike in flames and still reported, "Despite her fear, she said she still had a \"good impression of Paris.\""
Nathalia Benning said she ultimately decided to go ahead with her sightseeing plans in the capital with her husband and cousins, and she admitted, "I'm a bit worried,". Nathalia Benning said she would avoid going out after dark, while the article said tourists encountered in central Paris were taking precautions but not changing their plans.
Thailand watches bookings
Thailand's tourism operators stayed cautious as Bangkok Post reporting framed the question of whether France's protests could affect inbound travel to Thailand from Europe. Ratchaporn Poolsawadee, vice president of the Tourism Council of Thailand (TCT), said bookings for the high season have not been affected, adding that he believed a movement lasting several months could slow departures of French people to distant destinations.
Suladda Sarutilavan, executive director Europe of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), said Thailand had welcomed more than 610,000 French visitors by mid-October and that the figure was stable year over year. Suladda Sarutilavan said the year was expected to end with more than 800,000 arrivals and that the French would continue to travel unless flight disruptions or a prolonged economic slowdown occur.