The most popular city in Europe is currently focused not on tourism at all, but on preparations for the 2024 Olympic Games. This fact is disappointing and outrageous for travelers who have flocked en masse to the most romantic capital in the world since the end of the coronavirus pandemic.
In this regard, tourists cannot approach many famous sights in Paris – the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame Cathedral are blocked by scaffolding, fences and billboards that spoil the view. Monuments, including the Louvre and the Grand Palais, are also covered in scaffolding, wooden fencing or billboards as the French capital gears up for a sporting event, frustrating tourists looking for the perfect shot, AFP said. “It's a pity that this area is under construction, because it is also the most emblematic part of Paris,” a Spanish tourist lamented in an interview with the publication, walking along the Trocadero esplanade overlooking the Seine River.
Every year, millions of tourists flock to the Trocadéro because it offers a beautiful view of the Eiffel Tower, which has been used countless times as a backdrop by celebrities and fashion models. But lengthy renovations accompanied by fences make it hard to find the perfect photo for social media.
Tourist grievances
“Finally after Covid, we were able to come here. .. I don’t know if this is a temporary construction or something else, but it worries me,” added a tourist who came on vacation from Israel.
It is noted that not all tourists leave without a memorable picture. Some decide to take a desperate step and climb the barricades to take a high-quality photo. “I think it's dangerous to climb (up the wall) because we might fall and ruin the trip,” said Caro, who climbed up to take the picture with her arms folded around the Iron Lady.
“Honestly, this is very, very disappointing. It's a shame! You need to be much farther away to take a picture. It's a waste of time!” she complained to the publication.
On the other side of the Seine at the foot of the Eiffel Tower, scaffolding around the monument in the midst of reconstruction forced tourists to look for non-standard solutions for photographs. For example, some shot the monument of architecture and the visiting card of the city from the bottom up, so that the construction work did not get into the frame.
What else can not be seen in Paris now?
A similar story unfolds in front of Notre Dame Cathedral, which is undergoing extensive renovations after a massive fire in 2019 nearly burned the Gothic monument to the ground.
Specialists used various tricks to avoid completely enclosing the Parisian monuments. Thus, the Madeleine church is hung with a billboard depicting Mont Saint-Michel, while the National Assembly – the parliament – decided to reproduce its own facade.
At the foot of the obelisk in the Place de la Concorde, tour guide Thierry Collegia told AFP that he faces questions about large-scale construction work. “I basically tell them it’s because of the 2024 Olympics. There are so many monuments in Paris to admire that if some of them are under construction, it doesn't really matter,” said the travel expert.
Tourist statistics
The number of tourists visiting Paris tends to pre-Covid levels. According to the City Hall, between January and May 2022, about 12.1 million people visited the capital, which is only three million less than in the same period in 2019.
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