Tourism industry players in France urge for special security

The 21 leading companies of Alliance 46.2 have called for the French government to establish special police force due to “serious crisis” in the country

Giant tourism firms in France have called for special police force to ensure security on the streets of Paris, after last November’s terrorist attacks and protests related to the labour reform have seriously affected the industry’s competitiveness.

Among the signatories of the open letter sent to the country’s officials, big industry names such as Disneyland Paris, the Galeries Lafayette, Aéroports de Paris and SNCF railway operator have expressed their concerns over the necessity of investing special police force to provide enhanced security in main touristic hot-spots.

“This spring saw a combination of unusually violent demonstrations, blocking oil supplies, public attacks on police cars, strikes in the aviation sector. When a country of 66 million inhabitants hosts 84 million tourists, it is normal to introduce a special police force. The image of France has deeply deteriorated and it's likely that 2017 will still feel the impact. The recovery may therefore be long," the association’s letter quotes, adding that the overall number of foreign visitors has dropped by 5 per cent in 2016. Moreover, according to French Tourism Minister Matthias Fekl, hotel bookings have also dropped by 10 per cent when compared to last year’s figures.

As the ISIS terrorist attacks recently left at least 214 people dead in Paris and Nice, travelers outside Europe have avoided visiting the country and turned to safer destinations, leading the French tourism industry into huge revenue losses. For example, due to general security concerns situation in the country, giant Disneyland Paris has reported up to 13 per cent revenue drops and an 11 per cent decrease in visitor numbers.