France’s tourism industry has lost about 72.7 billion dollars (60 billion euros) due to the situation with coronavirus and relevant quarantine restrictions, French Secretary of State for Tourism Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne, told Le Figaron newspaper.
According to the official, the cancellation of 2021 Paris Air Show, one of the world’s largest aircraft and spacecraft events traditionally held at Le Bourget, will, in particular, severely hit business tourism.
The organisers reported its cancellation over coronavirus restrictions on Monday.
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“As for the entire tourism industry, not only business tourism … the losses have so far amounted to [approximately] 60 billion euros.
“This means that 30-40 per cent of income has disappeared,” Lemoyne said.
France imposed its first stay-at-home regime from March-May, hitting hard the eurozone’s second largest economy.
The second lockdown came into force on Oct. 30 amid the second coronavirus outbreak, with another closure of stores, businesses and public facilities.
On Nov. 28, some quarantine rules were softened allowing clothing stores, bookstores, beauty salons and hairdressers to open.
The authorities plan to lift the nationwide lockdown effective on Dec. 15, given the daily average of new infections falls below 5,000.
