France is the most visited country on earth, but its tourism industry is facing a rough patch. Weeks of protests that began as student demonstrations over inequality have grown into a national anti-poverty movement, and in Paris, Nice and Lyon they've turned violent — with looting, arson and clashes with police prompting authorities to impose curfews.
The fallout for travellers has been immediate. Some of the country's biggest cultural attractions, including the Louvre and the Musée d'Orsay, have had to shut their doors temporarily, leaving visitors with hotel bookings but little to do. Christelle Cassagne, who heads the national federation of French tourism bodies ADN Tourisme, pulled no punches: violence in the centres of major cities is, in her words, catastrophic for a sector built on people getting out and about.
The numbers back her up. Research consultancy Protourisme says a single day of rioting in Paris triggered cancellation rates of around one percent of the monthly total in just a few days. MKG Consulting data shows Paris hotel bookings for the following six weeks running well below last year's figures. Several governments have updated travel guidance too, advising citizens to avoid large gatherings, respect curfews, register with safety apps and consider postponing trips altogether.
There's a knock-on effect abroad as well. Thailand — where the French are the second-largest European source market — is watching nervously. More than 610,000 French visitors had arrived by mid-October, a stable figure year on year, but officials there worry curfews, road closures and hit household budgets could keep future French travellers at home. Overall foreign arrivals to Thailand from January to mid-October were down 4.12 percent year on year, though that dip is mostly down to Chinese travel easing after Golden Week; long-haul arrivals actually rose over 10 percent week on week in mid-October.
What matters most for anyone with a French trip in the diary: further protests were scheduled for 24 October, with a general strike set for 5 November. Transport, museum access and general security could all be affected on those dates. If you're booked to travel, keep an eye on official Foreign Office guidance, confirm opening times for attractions before setting out, and build slack into any airport transfers on strike days. If you haven't booked yet, it may be worth waiting until the calendar of demonstrations clears before locking in city-centre stays in Paris, Lyon or Nice.
This story was originally reported by Travel Tomorrow.
