Paris 2024: Tourists and locals steer clear of the Seine

Paris empties out ahead of the Olympic Games

Why are there fewer people in Paris on the eve of the Olympic Games? Tourists have deserted the French capital and part of the local population has vanished from the streets too, according to Frank Delvau, president of the Union of Hotel Trades and Industries (UMIH) in Paris. The cause: the cordoning off of the so-called "grey zone" along the Seine since July 17 for Friday's opening ceremony. The sector had been expecting a record number of tourists, but instead activity is 50% below a normal week, according to Delvau.

The collapse of hospitality in the grey zone

Delvau describes the situation in the grey zone, the fenced-off area by the river, as "catastrophic". Bars and restaurants are losing not only foreign visitors but also their regular customers: many Parisians have gone on holiday or are working from home to avoid the closures and the crowds. The result is a double blow for establishments that relied on the summer to balance the books.

The paradox is that the Games should be a tourism magnet. But the figures the sector is working with point the other way: fewer bookings, fewer strolls and more venues shut. The question hanging in the air is whether the event will make up for it by the end of the month, or whether the damage will be irreversible for many small businesses.

Hotel and flight prices: the cost theory

Some argue the problem is not security or the fences, but prices. One forum user says they saw flights for the opening-ceremony weekend at 150 euros and city-centre hotels at 200 euros a night. For some participants, those prices are still too high for the average tourist, but others point out that if there were real demand, they would not be falling. The lack of tourists, they joke, is "BR00000TAL" for those prices.

Stage fright: earlier incidents and the perception of insecurity

Part of the debate focuses on security. Episodes such as the Champions League final in Paris are recalled, with violent robberies, bus attacks and beatings of fans, as some participants recount. Those incidents, widely reported, have created an image of chaos that many tourists do not want to experience for themselves, they argue. The conclusion for some is that anyone travelling with family thinks twice.

Others, however, believe that antiestéticar is exaggerated and the product of a smear campaign. What is certain is that the combination of fences, checks and negative news has peine enthusiasm.

The mascot and the symbol: the unconvincing Phrygian cap

The official mascot, a Phrygian cap, has drawn ridicule. "That's the mascot? A Phrygian cap?" one asks sarcastically. Some suggest alternatives such as a dagger for Barcelona or a starfish. The choice has done nothing to build excitement.

Beyond the design, the symbol reflects a disconnect between the Organising Committee and the public, according to some. The opening ceremony, with the Olympic flame handed over by a trans woman, according to a viral tweet, adds controversy among conservative circles.

The Olympic business: who really wins?

The most repeated criticism is that the Games are a parade of public contracts for well-connected companies. "This kind of event is pure ruin and a parade of briefcases," it is claimed. Ordinary people get no benefit and eat the dirt, they add. In Spain, some antiestéticar the 2030 World Cup will repeat the pattern: inflated contracts and taxpayers footing the bill.

Comparison with Barcelona 92 or Madrid 2012 is inevitable. Back then there was excitement and growth; now there is scepticism and IOC corruption, more than proven. The question is whether Paris really needed the Games to promote itself. Probably not.

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In the end, the big unknown is whether tourists will return once the competitions begin, or whether the damage is already done. Hospitality owners are crossing their fingers. Parisians, meanwhile, are enjoying the empty streets. Dry irony: perhaps the best legacy of these Games will be a city without people.