MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 29th March, 2021) The Ile-de-France region lost 15.5 billion Euros ($18.2 billion) worth of revenues last year as a result of the pandemic-induced declines in the number of foreign tourists, the Paris Region Tourist board said on Monday.
"The partial border closures and restrictive measures have severely limited the mobility of French and international travelers. In 2020, only 33.1 million passengers passed through Ile-de-France airports, which is 69% less than in the previous year," the committee said in a statement, estimating the loss in revenues at 15.5 billion euros.
The hotel activeness, in particular, declined significantly, with a 60 percent drop for budget hotels and 85 percent for luxury hotels, according to the statement.
The attendance of cultural and entertainment venues fell by 50 percent, the committee said.
Since last March, France underwent two national lockdowns and periods of countrywide restrictions such as social distancing, business closures, and public assembly limitations. A countrywide curfew has been in place since December, and, most recently, several French regions, including Paris, locked down again locally due to a resurgence in infections.
The French health authorities have confirmed over 4.6 million COVID-19 infections with the death toll at nearly 95,000, as of Monday.�
