Paris hotels had an occupancy rate of only 32% in the second half of July, compared with 77% last year.
Hotels in Nice saw a 45% drop in revenue in the two weeks following the July attack. The tourism industry, crucial to the French economy, is in a slump after it had record growth in 2015.
Matthias Fekl, Minister of State for Foreign Trade, the Promotion of Tourism and French Nationals Abroad, is now leading a million-euro campaign to promote France as a safe destination to tourists and travel journalists, even though a recently published survey conducted by Elabe pollsters shows that 65 percent of French citizens blamed the government for indecisiveness in fighting terrorism and 77 percent said its anti-terror strategies were ineffective.
Patrols of tourist sites and beaches by armed soldiers and police have failed to reassure travellers.
“The tourists are concerned about security and order,” an official admitted.
