With the anniversary of the terrifying Paris terror attacks approaching, France will splash the cash to boost security around tourist spots in the hope of encouraging visitors to return.
On Monday, French Premier Manuel Valls was set to announce a raft of measures that will be aimed at bringing tourists back to France, Thelocal.fr reported.
France’s tourism industry, so important to the country’s economy, is still suffering the impact of last year’s terror attacks in Paris and this summer’s carnage in Nice.
Under pressure from tourist industry leaders, the government has realized it must act as the number of foreigners visiting Paris has fallen by 8% since the start of the year, meaning an estimated loss of €1 billion.
On Monday evening, government ministers will meet to discuss tourism for the first time in 13 years.
According to Le Figaro newspaper, the government is prepared to spend some €42 million ($46.4 million) on measures to woo visitors back.
Not surprisingly, security tops their agenda and around €15 million ($16.6 million) will be allocated to making visitors feel safer.
Among the measures include a plan to roll out more video surveillance or CCTV in sensitive areas where tourists have been targeted, notably hotels on the edge of Paris.
The government also plans “mobile police stations” in tourist hotspots to help tourists report crimes and around 30 sites, including museums, will see security boosted.
The government knows it is not just the terrorists whose acts of murder have dissuaded many tourists from visiting; the thieves have also targeted visitors particularly from the Far East. The number of Japanese visiting France has dropped by 39% and Chinese visitors are 23% down.
Authorities will also make it easier to arrive in the country by cutting the queues at passport control by installing about 10 new automatic passport gates at Charles de Gaulle and Orly airports.
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