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France riots threaten tourism
Twelve nights of violent riots in Paris and dozens other French cities is threatening France’s tourism, second largest in the world with 75 million yearly visitors.
Concern was also mounting, as trouble appeared to spread across Europe with vehicles torched in Brussels and Berlin.
The US and many other governments have issued travel warnings urging tourists to avoid riot-hit areas, especially at night. None are advising travelers to avoid France altogether — at least, not yet.
France’s Cabinet has approved emergency measures this morning, allowing local officials to impose curfews. Police have been granted emergency powers to carry out raids for suspected stockpiling of weapons. They include 1,500 reservists were being called up to reinforce the 8,000 police and gendarmes already deployed.
Still, the nation’s tourism minister, in an interview Monday with The Associated Press, said he felt that the international media was exaggerating the violence.
The nightly violence occurs mostly in tough suburbs, and targets police and property, with arsonists torching thousands of cars and many buildings.
Last week, popular tourists locations were spared any of the rioting, except for two trains which linking Paris to Charles de Gaulle airport being attacked by rock-throwing rioters, injuring a female passenger.
The U.S. Embassy’s warning about the “extremely violent” riots noted that train travel into the capital from Paris’ main airport, Charles de Gaulle, “may be disrupted at times, as it passes near the affected area.” The warning suggested that travelers take airport buses or taxis.
Accor, Europe’s largest hotel group, which has hotels from its Novotel, Etap, Ibis and Formule 1 chains located in the Paris suburbs, reported to the Associated Press, that mainly business was as usual.
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