They expected an Olympic boon, but some Paris businesses experienced an Olympic tourism bust

On a typical summer day, tourists flock to the historic Marais district of Paris, wandering through charming medieval lanes dotted with ultra-chic boutiques, gazing at stunning private mansions and the elegant 17th-century Place des Vosges, and filling humming eateries and bars. But this summer was hardly typical, and those streets, shops, and cafes were markedly emptier in the days leading up to the Paris Olympics—leaving businesses like Stolly’s Stone Bar, a pub catering to the Anglophone community, pining for summers past. Some attributed the light crowds to multiple factors, but first and foremost the chilling effect from tough security measures that restricted movement in the French capital, with tourists encountering metal fences, police checkpoints, and requests for a special QR code they may have neglected to obtain—a digital pass required to access certain areas of central Paris before the opening ceremony. It certainly hurt the business hopes of Jean-Pierre Salson, who owns Factory’s, a shop on Rue Sainte-Croix de la Bretonnerie in the Marais that specializes in menswear. Salson estimated business was down 30 percent since last year, and even more—40 percent—among his American customers. “I think they are avoiding France and Paris because they are afraid of the Olympics,” he said. Especially, he said, because of traffic. “There are restricted areas you can’t get to by car. So you need to walk, some subway stations are closed—it’s difficult to get especially in the center of Paris.” Analysts say the high costs of travel to Paris this Olympic season—and staying there—meant some planes landed with empty seats and hotels were not as booked as they normally would be in the summer high season. Olivier Ponti, vice president of insights at ForwardKeys, a travel data company with access to airline industry ticketing data, said arrivals to Paris in the three weeks before the Games were down 13% from a year earlier. He called it a “slump” because “people who would traditionally visit the French capital have decided to stay away." This article was provided by The Associated Press.