Paris (AFP)
The movement of "yellow vests" has slowed arrivals of foreign visitors at the beginning of the year in Paris and Ile-de-France, stalling tourist attendance in the first half, according to data Tuesday in the region.
In the first six months of the year, hotel arrivals are down slightly by 0.1% (to 17.3 million) compared to the first half of 2018 - which had a record "absolute" attendance.
However, the stays of French tourists (+ 0.3%) offset the loss of foreign customers (-0.5%) between January and June, cooled by the demonstrations of "yellow vests" initiated in November.
It was in the first quarter that hotel attendance was the most affected: -4.8% for foreign visitors, -3.4% for French tourists. Before experiencing a net revival of activity in the second quarter, especially favored by the Women's World Cup football.
While the attendance of Japanese, Spanish and American tourists has increased over the semester, the decline is marked by the British (304,000 overnight stays), the Ile-de-France region pointing the effects of Brexit. She points out, however, that the United Kingdom remains the second "emitter" country of tourists to the destination behind the United States.
Arrivals of Chinese visitors have also slowed down (42,000 overnight stays), with the region highlighting the "economic difficulties experienced by this clientele".
Overall, over the half-year, tourism receipts reached € 9.8 billion, a decline of € 92 million (-0.1% year-on-year).
© 2019 AFP