France missing out on Olympic Games boon as Parisians decamp

It is just past midday and many restaurants on the banks of the Seine in Paris offer an unusual sight: one can choose a table. Most are empty. Traffic is heavy but only a handful of passers-by wind their way through temporary power generators and metal fences separating the pavement from the road. The fences have been set up to manage the flow of more than 200,000 people expected next week to come to watch, for free, the Summer Olympic Games opening ceremony on the river. “I have 30 per cent less clients than usual,” said restaurant owner Olivier Cornet, 54. He hopes they will be back next month. “It'll be like a tsunami: the wave draws back before hitting hard.” Business owners are anxiously waiting for the Games to deliver the highly anticipated increase in tourists and associated spending of €2.7 billion ($2.9 billion), but figures so far have been disappointing. Tour operators are reported to be expecting a 2 per cent decrease in booking during the Games , which officially open on July 26 and close on August 11. Flagship carrier Air France has said it expected a loss of €180 million as tourists avoid the French capital, fearing congestion, traffic restrictions and public transport price hikes. As well as the missing tourists, Parisians who check out of the city every summer appear to have taken their leave earlier than usual. “It doesn't feel festive yet, though the atmosphere was terrific when the Olympic flame came through the streets” last week, said Mr Cornet. The area around the restaurant has become one of several restricted areas – red and grey zones – that can only be accessed with QR codes until July 26. The grey zone is an anti-terrorist protection area near the opening ceremony that was implemented from Thursday morning. “This means that to enter the area which runs along the Seine in Paris … you must have an authorisation,” said Paris police chief Laurent Nunez. “And you'll be subject to an identity check, searches and pat-downs.” There is also a red zone, where traffic is banned around competition sites. It has so far only been activated around the Athletes Village, north of the capital. On Thursday, those with the precious QR code – either on their phones or printed out on paper – passed smoothly past police checkpoints at gaps in the barriers that are taller than most people. While authorities announced the code system last year and have been meeting with local residents for months to explain the restrictions, not everyone was aware. Officers were patiently explaining to visitors without the pass how to reach iconic Paris monuments without going through the restricted zone. Officers were under instructions to be polite and patient as employees on their way to work and others dealt with the perimeter and the passes for the first time. But Mr Nunez said that after the initial 24 hours of being accommodating, officers would apply the rules much more firmly, with no more looking the other way for those without QR codes. The Trumilou, which serves classic French cuisine to a mix of tourists and locals, is in the grey zone. “I have loads of clients who live on Ile Saint-Louis and have left for the Games,” said Mr Cornet. “But it's not a catastrophe,” he added. “I know they'll be back because many have tickets.” Raymond Pignol's restaurant L'Auberge Café, near the Pont Neuf that spans the Seine, is just inside the metal fencing. He is less sanguine. “They’ve locked me up like a prisoner,” he said. Hotels are also likely to be impacted. Months ago, reports said tourists were paying an eye-watering €1,000 on average for the opening ceremony. Prices have since decreased by a couple of hundred euros as occupancy rates are expected to be lower than during previous years, according to consumer protection association UFC Que Choisir. Organisers hope to attract 15 million people during the Games, including 13.4 nationals and 1.9 million foreigners. One hotel owner recently told local radio that he had initially tripled his prices but had to reduce them to only 1.2 times more than usual. “In terms of visitors, we are well below 2023,” Bellevue hotel director Alain Tourdes told France Bleu . The positive effects of the Games should not be restricted to the economy and should also include long-term environmental benefits, argued Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo after she swam in the Seine on Wednesday. The river was closed to the public more than 100 years ago due to high levels of pollution, but it is now set to be used for the swimming leg of the Olympics triathlon on July 30 and 31 and August 5. The city spent €1.4 billion ($1.5 billion) to prevent sewage leaks that dirty its waters . “By cleaning the Seine, we obviously enable the Games to take place but, above all, we limit damage to the oceans,” Ms Hidalgo said. “The Games were the motor and accelerator” for the clean-up, she added. Organisers hope to limit costs by mostly using existing sports infrastructure for 95 per cent of their needs. Economists estimate that the Paris Summer Games could be the third least expensive since 1988, after Atlanta and Sydney. French Court of Auditors president Pierre Moscovici said in March the Games are expected to cost the state between €3 billion and €5 billion. The overall cost, including private money, is estimated at €9 billion. Hotels and local businesses are now hoping for last-minute reservations. “It's very French to take time to become enthusiastic about something,” said Mr Cornet.