Paris Businesses Are Reportedly Suffering Due to the Summer Olympics

The 2024 Summer Olympics are making a bang in Paris, France, but local businesses are saying sales are anything but booming.

Despite an influx of visitors and tourists coming to watch the games, local business owners are reporting slow summer days due to several factors affecting the city and surrounding areas, including acts of vandalism and security issues.

In addition to increased security measures around the city, including metal detectors and police checkpoints, certain landmarks and tourist attractions also have restricted and limited access for visitors, which means surrounding businesses are suffering.

“It’s been very slow since the beginning of June,” menswear shop owner Jean-Pierre Salson told the Associated Press. “July is worse. There’s a lot less tourists, from all the countries. I think they’re avoiding France and Paris because they’re afraid of the Olympics.”

While Parisian locals often opt to leave the city for summer vacation, tourists without tickets to the games are avoiding the area, too.

In a joint statement to Paris24, a group of restaurant, hotel, retail, and nightspot unions said that, despite optimistic forecasts, “many professionals have seen their revenue fall by 30 percent compared with previous years.”

Hotel prices have also skyrocketed, making visitors choose other European locales to visit this summer, instead.

“It’s very quiet now,” said Guillaume Faller, a restaurant manager in Paris, per the AP. “Much quieter than the same period last year. But I think it will bounce back in a few days. In any case, I hope so.”

Airlines are also feeling the brunt.

Earlier this month, Delta Airlines announced it was anticipating a $100 million quarterly loss due to the Olympics.

“Unless you’re going to the Olympics, people aren’t going to Paris … very few are,” CEO Ed Bastian said, at the time. “Business travel, you know, other types of tourism is potentially going elsewhere.”

The 2024 Summer Olympic Games began on Friday, July 26, and continue through Sunday, August 11.

https://www.entrepreneur.com/business-news/small-parisian-businesses-suffering-due-to-the-olympics/477738