Nice terror attack hits French tourism business
Shares of euro travel, leisure companies drop following deadly carnage
Tourist arrivals in France are expected to be 30 percent lesser next month following the Bastille Day carnage in French Riviera city of Nice, where 84 people, including 10 children, perished last week.
The usually busy cafes and hotels along the beachfront Promenade des Anglais have become empty as local and foreign tourists avoid the popular tourist spot in Nice, which is the second most visited city in France after Paris.
Data from to Euromonitor International show that 84.5 million inbound tourists arrived in France in 2015 and 2.3 million of these visitors went to Nice. Tourism reportedly accounts for 7 to 8 percent of France’s US$2 trillion (AU$2.6 trillion) economy. Nice, specifically, reports an average of US$1.65 billion (AU$2.2 billion) annual income from tourism alone.
Various media reported that the latest terrorist attack in the eurozone’s No. 2 economy has contributed to France’s worsening global image following the bloody assaults in Paris in January and November 2015.
"France has been projecting very violent images to the outside world for 18 months now," Vanguelis Panayotis, managing director of the MKG tourism consultancy, told Reuters.
"The impact on business is going to be large. It's tough, because France is just coming out of a successful Euro tournament, and the feeling of insecurity had receded,” he added, referring to the recent Euro 2016 cup.
Nice airport sale delayed
The July 14 attack in Nice has likewise delayed the French government’s auction of the Nice Cote d’Azur airport, France’s biggest regional airport.
Five offers have so far been submitted for the privatisation of the 60 percent stakes in Nice airport and investors had until July 18, Monday, to submit their offers. Announcement of the winning bid is expected next month.
Meanwhile, flagship airline Air France and Accor, Europe's biggest hotel chain, both claimed their shares sank the day after the killings in Nice. Low-cost airline EasyJet said relatively few passengers opted to fly to Nice a day after the attack.
Europe’s broad FTSEurofirst 300 index closed down 0.15 percent at 1,335.71 last Friday.
To recall, French-Tunisian Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel drove a 19-tonne truck into revellers watching the seaside fireworks display celebrating Bastille Day, instantly killing 84 people on the truck’s path. At least 121 people were injured following the assault, while 21 adults and five children remain in critical care as of press time.
