Eiffel Tower to reopen
PARIS — Workers are preparing the Eiffel Tower for reopening next week, after the coronavirus pandemic led to the iconic Paris landmark’s longest closure since World War II.
France’s tourism industry is opening back up, but the 324-meter (1,063feet) tall wrought-iron tower won’t immediately welcome visitors the way it did before the country went into lockdown in March.
Only limited numbers of people will be allowed in when the Eiffel Tower opens again on June 25. Elevators to the top will be out of service, at least at first, and only the first and second floors will be accessible to the public.
“We are optimistic that visitor numbers will pick up, even if it will likely be local tourists who visit the monument in the first weeks,” Klahr said.
The tower’s director told The Associated Press on Tuesday that he hopes access will be back to normal by August.
A stringent cleaning operation is in place and will continue daily from next week.
Tourists planning trips to the City of Light are advised to book tickets to visit the Eiffel Tower online once the ticket office reopens Thursday.
Paris tourism officials have expressed muted optimism about the city’s reemergence as a travel destination. Since confinement measures were imposed in March, tourism levels have dropped by around 80% compared to the same month in previous years, they say.
“To visit Paris now is quite exceptional, as we of course don’t have many visitors and we don’t expect this summer to be at the same level as previous ones,” Corinne Menegaux, the director of Paris’s businesses and tourism office, told The AP.
Hotel owners are also keen to welcome visitors again, if realistic about the challenges ahead - and the competition among European countries to draw tourists back in the coronavirus era.