A couple of tourists exploring the Petite France district in Strasbourg.

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SUPERSTOCK / SUPERSTOCK / SIPA

  • Tourism professionals look grim in Strasbourg.

    The months of July and August were quite terrible, with large drops in attendance.

  • For example, the cathedral, the most visited monument in Alsace, attracted half as many visitors.

    A trend also felt in hotels and cruise ships.

  • "We do not want to put ourselves in a city in the current context", summarizes Patrice Geny, director of the Tourist Office of Strasbourg and its region.

    Like many, he is waiting to know if the famous Christmas market will take place.

This is just an anecdote but it says a lot about tourism in Strasbourg this summer.

In mid-August, a young couple who had booked a night in a hotel quite far from the city center experienced a pleasant inconvenience.

The four-star establishment that was to welcome them was closed and offered them another place.

Nothing less than… the prestigious five-star luxury hotel located in the heart of Petite France, the showcase district of the Alsatian capital!

One of the positive side effects of Covid-19?

This is certainly not the opinion of tourism professionals.

At the time of the first assessment of the two months of summer vacation, the mines were rather crestfallen this week.

"There is no one this year in town"

"All this should not last because otherwise the damage will be terrible", admits Séraphin Kern, who owns the small trains in several Alsatian cities.

On all the courses offered, the company he co-manages with his son has experienced a drop "of about 50%" this summer.

“Our clientele are mainly foreign tourists but there is no one in town this year,” says the partner.

The figures from the Strasbourg and Region Tourist Office (OTSR) reflect this: the cathedral, the most visited monument in Alsace, welcomed 250,000 visitors instead of the 500,000 recorded last year over the two hottest months. .

And it's even worse for museums (-56%) or boat trips (-61%) ...

“The mountains and the countryside have fared well. Urban tourism has suffered more, at national and European level.

We do not want to put ourselves in a city in the current context ”, summarizes Patrice Geny, director of the OTSR.

What about the Christmas market

His office has just launched a communication campaign to encourage “tourism based on the daisy chain”.

Clearly, travelers sleep in Strasbourg and visit Alsace every day by train.

The hoteliers of the Alsatian capital are in any case ready to welcome a massive clientele again.

“Today, we should not be very far from the 85-90% of the park open.

There are no longer many closed establishments, except those under construction, ”explains Pierre Siegel, president of the union of hoteliers and restaurateurs in Strasbourg.

Like his colleagues and all tourism professionals, they now have another worry: that the famous Christmas market will not take place this winter.

“We cannot give a precise answer today.

The decision will be up to Madam Prefect, ”says the president of the OTSR, Jean-Jacques Gsell.

Each year, around two million visitors stroll through the chalets and the scent of mulled wine.

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