France’s tourism sector worried about impact of riots

• France’s tourism sector is worried that riots and street violence are damaging the country’s image and putting visitors off, especially in Paris, Lyon and Marseille.
• Hotels and bookings are already weakening, with travel advisories from countries including the US, China and Germany adding to safety fears.
• Experts say short unrest may cause limited damage, but repeated violence could be “catastrophic”, especially for long-haul and high-spending tourists.

PARIS – The images of France’s riots posted and broadcast around the world have cast a pall on the country’s important tourism sector, with many fearing worse consequences if violence returns.

“The surge of violence in the centres of Nice, Paris, Lyon – it’s catastrophic,” said Christelle Cassagne, head of the ADN Tourisme body covering the country’s tourism institutions.

“When you book a hotel for a week, it’s not so you stay stuck in the hotel,” she said.

The scenes of clashes with police, public buildings on fire, shops being looted and masked young men roaming the streets have, since Oct 17, shocked and fascinated news audiences internationally.

The violence has usurped the usual curated footage of genteel cafes favoured by influencers, who have suddenly taken to asking “Is Paris safe?” – many using artificial intelligence on thumbnails or even in their videos to boost click-through rates.

The closure of the Louvre in Paris on Oct 19 because of a small group of student protesters at the entrance also frustrated many visitors who had the museum on their list of highlights.

The uncertainty has made some hesitant about visiting the City of Light.

“Honestly, we were not certain that we’d keep our stay,” an Indian businessman in a pricey Paris hotel said, declining to give his name.

Already, hotel reservations are weakening in major cities such as Paris, Lyon and Marseille, according to Didier Arino, head of the consulting and research firm Protourisme.

For a country used to welcoming 100 million visitors a year – and the more than 70 billion euros (S$100.4 billion) they spend – it is a concern.

Arino and other observers questioned by AFP said the overall picture for France’s tourism industry would depend on whether new violence broke out in the coming weeks.

“The impact of a day of rioting and urban violence in the heart of Paris caused around a 1%-cancellation rate for the monthly count in the days following, and the same for the following weeks,” Arino said.

“For the 42 million hotel nights forecast for 2026, that’s not major. But watch out you don’t underestimate the effects from repeated incidents.”

“The further away the clients are, the more sensitive they are to safety risks, and the stronger the impact,” said Arino.

Travel advisories

Visitors from farther-away countries, particularly the United States and some Asian ones, often spend more than Europeans during their stay.

The downward pressure on reservations comes as several countries, including the US, China and Germany issued travel advisories for their citizens in France.

Laurent Abitbol, head of the executive board of travel agency group Selectour, said: “If this lasts two weeks, that’s not so serious. However, if this continues for several months it will be catastrophic.”

“When you watch CNN, or Fox News, BBC, all that, you’d believe that France is at war. That’s not good...”

Another firm, MKG Consulting, said that, since Oct 17, Paris hotels have lost potential bookings for the next six weeks.

Its data showed bookings had weakened sharply within a day.

Between Oct 19 and 20, the share of rooms booked for stays from Oct 20 to 29 fell from being 1% above the level recorded for the same period in 2025 to just 0.2% higher.

For stays between Oct 20 and 25, the increase over 2025 levels also narrowed significantly, dropping from 3.5% to 1.9%.

“This slowdown is especially notable for near-term and high-end stays,” it said, drawing a parallel with a period in December 2018 when Yellow Vest street protests raged in the capital’s streets. AFP