After Paris was attacked, the economy was hit hard. Coffee culture was changed. Chinese tourists cited "spring".

BEIJING, Nov. 27 (Xinhua) According to France's European Times, Paris has always been a gathering of tourists as one of the world's popular travel destinations. But after the terrorist attacks of november 13th, everything quietly changed. Fears of a repeat terrorist attack mean Paris is no longer what foreign tourists call a "romantic city." In addition, the French government was forced to cancel a large number of activities because of concerns for personal safety.

As a direct result, French tourism and commerce were hit hard. Hotel occupancy rates continue to fall, luxury trade is in the doldrums and restaurant attendance is expected to decline. According to estimates by the French Treasury, the economic losses caused by the terrorist attack may reach 2 billion euros, accounting for 0.1% of GDP.

Tourists cancel trips to France, French tourism hit

After the Paris attacks, the governments of China, Canada, Japan and the United States were the first to warn people to postpone travel plans as much as possible. In view of the closure of some tourist facilities and the inability to advance the itinerary as planned, foreign travel agencies have cancelled their trips to France. Japanese travel company HIS has decided to cancel tour groups departing for France on the 17th and 18th and waive handling fees for customers who cancel trips to France before the 18th, Nihon Keizai Shimbun reported.

According to the World Tourism Council, reservations for flights to Paris dropped 27 percent in the week after the November 13 attacks. Tourism revenue accounts for about 9% of France's GDP, and the tourism downturn will have a big impact on the French economy. According to relevant analysts, the attack on French tourism will take at least three to six months to recover.

France's anti-terrorism efforts have increased significantly. (French European Times Network Data Map)

The hotel industry is as bleak as the stars

The Paris terrorist attacks have had a serious impact on many local industries, but no industry is as scarred as the hotel industry. As one of the most popular travel destinations in the world, Paris has a thriving hotel industry. Over the course of a year, the city's 1600 hotels generate at least € 4.4 billion in revenue. But in a flash, the whole industry is like a dim star, bleak depression.

On the morning of the 14th, at the Best Western Diamond Opera Hotel in Paris, passengers were seen dragging their suitcases and leaving in a hurry. This boutique hotel is within walking distance of the Paris Opera House and just two miles from the area where the terrorist attacks that killed 129 people the night before took place. As soon as the attack broke out, hotel phones began ringing off the hook and more than half of reservations were cancelled immediately. According to statistics, the number of cancelled orders received by hotels has been increasing since Saturday after the terrorist attacks, especially the turnover of high-end hotels has almost halved.

"Right now, there are almost no reservations, I've never seen anything like it," said Jean-Bernard Falco, president of the Paris Hotel Group. But to fight terror and extremists, it would be better for them to see tourists returning to France and people working together."

Has French coffee culture changed? Few people go out for coffee.

More than 10 days after the terrorist attacks, Paris remains in a state of emergency. For security reasons, after the terrorist attacks, many shops, restaurants and museums were closed to visitors, and the number of Parisians and tourists visiting tourist attractions or museums was greatly reduced. Some tourists even wanted to flee Paris as soon as possible.

Figures released by Synhorcat, the French restaurant, hotel and cafe union, show that Paris cafes, bars and restaurants saw a rapid 80 per cent drop in turnover and a nearly 40 per cent drop in foot traffic after the attacks.

Although #Tousenterrasses#(go to alfresco coffee together) and #Tousaubistro#(go to pub together) were once popular topics on Social networks, very few people actually insisted on drinking coffee in alfresco seats or drinking in bars.

Luxury stores are closed, retail business is bleak

According to the French newspaper Le Monde, most luxury shops in downtown Paris have announced their closure after the terrorist attacks. LVMH, as well as Kering's Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent, Boucheron, Balenciaga and Puma stores in Paris, were closed. In addition, some fast fashion brands such as H&M have also chosen to close their doors.

"Right now people are not feeling the festive atmosphere at all and customers are not ready to start shopping," Claude Boulle, president of the Cities Trade Federation, told AFP. Traffic at large shopping malls such as Printemps and Galeries Lafayette has fallen by 30 to 50 percent since the attacks.

"French citizens, immersed in the sadness and anxiety of terrorist attacks, want to emphasize their national identity more than their consumer identity," wrote LSA, a French retail trade journal. Not only do French citizens have no intention of spending, Paris, a famous tourist and shopping city, will once again lose a large number of international buyers who come to buy luxury goods.

Most of the events were canceled, and theater revenue plummeted by 80 percent.

In the run-up to the UN Global Climate Change Conference (COP21), most of the concerts and festival parades planned from November 30 to December 11 were cancelled. In addition, most of the marches, events and salons had to be cancelled or postponed following the terrorist attacks.

This includes a three-day conference of French mayors, expected to bring 30000 people to Paris, which has been postponed until May 31 next year. At the UN Climate Change Conference on November 30, 40000 people were expected to attend a two-week environmental protection event in Paris, but due to security concerns, the French government decided to scale down the conference, canceling more than 200 events and leaving only important parts. According to data from the French Federation of Restaurants, Hotels and Cafes, the turnover of these event organizers has decreased by 25%.

In addition, after the terrorist attack on the Bataclan Theatre, the Theatre Producers Union said that ticket revenue decreased by 80%, which undoubtedly dealt a heavy blow to the theater in Paris. Theatre staff started #Tousauxspectacles#on Social networks and hoped the government would help them.

Chinese tourists wait for buses in Paris. (French European Times Network Data Map)

French government pushes a series of measures to change the status quo

The reality in France is grim: tourism has collapsed, consumption has fallen, confidence in households and industrial businesses has fallen, and safety procedures in businesses and transport have slowed. Faced with such a grim situation, the French government launched a series of measures to support tourism and commerce on the 25th.

These support measures cover three major areas: first, support for the hotel industry. The Public Investment Bank (BPI) has decided to suspend the repayment period of Paris hoteliers for six months. The move will benefit all hoteliers in Paris and its suburbs in line with confirmed occupancy rates. The administrative authorities of the Greater Paris Region have established mechanisms for monitoring and identifying specific cases.

The second is to support SMEs. The government may invoke the "economic sustainability panel" clause, which can only be activated in severe crisis situations, to allow small and medium-sized enterprises to defer tax payments and social contributions through a broader support measure.

Finally, support for the performing arts industry. because the attendance rate of the auditorium has dropped drastically. Producers urged the government to set up a € 50 million support fund, and the Ministry of Culture announced a € 4 million emergency relief fund.

Chinese tourists bring "spring" to France

While many industries have been hit hard in the wake of the attacks, there are others that have attracted spring, such as delivery services and online shopping. Apparently, many French people heeded the warning of the French Ministry of the Interior and minimized their travel.

Of course, it is Chinese tourists who really help boost France's economy. In Paris, which suffered a series of terrorist attacks, the momentum of Chinese tourists "sweeping goods" has not decreased. On the 21st, the second Saturday after the terrorist attacks in Paris, buses arrived one after another on the shopping street about 3 kilometers away from the Bataclan Theatre where many hostages were killed. The tourists arriving by bus were from China, who went there to buy famous brands such as the old Paris Printemps department store.

'I want to buy clothes and cosmetics,' said Li Qiuju, 51, a housewife from Shenyang, Liaoning Province, eagerly.'My budget is 40 - 50,000 yuan.' When asked if she was afraid of terror, she said incredulously that it happened a week ago, right? There's a lot of cops, it's okay. "Ninety percent of customers after the attacks were Chinese," said a clerk at a luxury store."They became a big boost to sales."

French Ambassador to China Gu Shan said on the 24th that the Paris terrorist attacks were a serious blow to France's tourism industry. In a difficult time when France is facing terrorism, France pays more attention to the tourism market, especially the Chinese market. At present, France has invested more than 100,000 security forces to protect tourists. In 2014, France received more than 1.7 million Chinese tourists. In 2015, France is ready to receive a record of nearly 2 million Chinese tourists. It hopes to receive 5 million Chinese tourists in 2020!

The Charlie Hebdo shooting in January 2015 severely hit the French economy. Compared with the Charlie Hebdo shooting, the impact of the Paris terrorist attack is obviously even greater. For France and even Europe as a whole, the shadow of terrorist attacks is difficult to eliminate in a short time, and negative impacts will gradually appear. However, I believe that strong French people can unite and overcome France's most serious challenges at present.

Source: China News Network