Macron vows support for French heritage amid virus downturn

President Emmanuel Macron has pledged support for deteriorating heritage sites crucial to France’s tourism sector at a time when budgets have been battered by the coronavirus outbreak. Macron travelled to the town of Condom in southwestern France on the eve of the 37th annual European Heritage Days – a weekend to celebrate culture and history when buildings which are usually off-limits are opened to the public.

The president visited the 18th-century Polignac private hotel, a neo-classical edifice and one of 18 endangered monuments to have benefited in 2018 from France’s heritage lottery fund.

He met builders and volunteers engaged in the building’s reconstruction and underscored the importance of cultural heritage in France’s economic activity and employment.

“Our heritage is the mark of the past. But it is also very much alive and anchored in the daily life of the French,” the president said on Facebook. “For our heritage to be alive, in our cities and towns, there is still a lot we need to do. We will step up our efforts.” France’s famous museums, cathedrals, palaces and monuments are a major draw card for the 90-odd million tourists who visit the country each year, though that number has been slashed by the coronavirus epidemic that shuttered hotels, restaurants and tourist sites for months, and grounded flights from abroad.

The tourism sector in France employs about 2mn people and represents more than 7% of gross domestic product.