Bookings fall in Paris

The WSJ firewall kicks in after two paragraphs so only subscribers enjoy the read.

when I post the link it locks, when I copy the article I get yelled at. I'm telling you, no respect.

Anyway, one common workaround is to do a google search for articles in the WSJ about Paris and then select the "news" category. For some reason, coming at the article that way often works.

You get yelled at when you copy an article without attribution. Respectfully ....

The tourism in Europe in general was up through mid year; some locations better than others. Then the migrant issue put a dent in much of it depending one where you were. While the news heated up in September I am guessing that many tourists were too committed to cancel and that would explain why the impact didn't hit full on until November. Most likely those that book 30 to 90 days prior to the trip made other decisions. Still, tourism seems to be not down, but closer to the 2014 track than what had been developing for 2015. If that sort of thinking held true to some degree with Paris then I wouldn't have expected the terrorism to have a great impact on Paris until January. What might be happening is the migrant issue layering with the terrorism issue. If that has any validity I would expect January and February to be slow (but they always are so no great loss), but with no further bad news I am hoping March at least returns to the 2014 normal and maybe by May we are back on the strong upturn that was occurring prior to September 2015. I can hope!

I wonder how tourism numbers are doing in Germany and Austria? - because of the refugee crisis. I would expect a downturn in Paris, at least, for the near future. If there are no attacks for a few months, I think tourists will come back, who can stay away from Paris?

It is terrible but I think terrorism is here to stay and we do not know when something can happen so I plan to continue traveling and living my life. The fact is I plan my travel many months in advance so I have to hope and pray that my trips go as planned.
Judy B

Judy, I have "interests" in tourism in Budapest so I sort of keep track of the region in general as most of my interests come or go to Austria and many on to Germany or the Czech Republic. So I suspect Austria is experiencing the same results as I am seeing in Budapest.

This is all news media driven so its up to them. If they have something else juicy to report on other than terrorism in Europe and migrants the industry should pick up. The terrorism isn't anything new and the migrant issue had been a problem long before the news ran out of other things to report on and made an issue of it.

I agree with your outlook with maybe a little degree of caution in certain areas and circumstances.

James,
So true! When I was on my RS tour this June, the BBC was reporting constantly on the Greek debt crisis. We were in Berlin, Dresden, Prague and Vienna and no sign of any migrants. They were streaming into Europe then but no reporting. And now, no attention to Greece.
Good to be on this forum among reasonable folks.
Judy B

I've never been called reasonable before. Hmmmmmmmmmmm

"...who can stay away from Paris?" So, so true ! As Mistenguett sang in her song (1929)..."C'est ça Paris"

We are just wrapping up a 3-night stay in Paris. The cafes are a little bit quiet, although the young people are out and enjoying life in Montmarte and the St. Germaine area. Met several Brits and some Americans, but our hotel, near Rue Cler, is quiet too. Security is a noticeable presence and the crowds are out shopping.

Alas, my last night in Paris. In general we've been able to walk into any cafe and get a table for 4 immediately. In fact if cafe is empty, we move on to a busier one. We've seen "bands" of armored military most every day. At big tourist spots, just along neighborhood streets, the Christmas market. with machine guns. I'm assuming this is Paris on heightened alert status. I signed up for STEP and yesterday received email from state dept stating.

"The U.S. Embassy in France reminds U.S. citizens that in the wake of the November 13, 2015 terrorist attacks in Paris, the government of France continues to warn of possible further attacks in France, citing repeated threats by terror groups. As we approach the final weeks of 2015, the U.S. Embassy reminds U.S. citizens of our Worldwide Travel Alert that urges travelers to exercise particular caution during the holiday season and at holiday festivals or events, including Christmas markets. Be aware of immediate surroundings and avoid large crowds or crowded places. So called “soft targets” represent a potential for terrorist activities. "

Every Parisian we have talked to or encountered has been friendly, patient, Helpful, and above and beyond what I expected in France. We have not come across 1 person that was even a little rude. Today we took the train to Chantilly, and while we stood there looking at the metro map on my iPad, two separate people came up to make sure we knew what train to get on.

No crowds, beautiful weather (mid 50's) no rain during waking hours and only a couple of grey days.

One more thing, we've hardly crossed paths with any Americans, but a LOT of Asians in the top tourist sites.

Can't wait to return with my Hubble in May!!!