Paris works to reassure tourists after attacks

PARIS, Jan. 26 (UPI) -- Paris is working to assure visitors of the city's safety after the terrorist incidents of early January, and thus far the plan is a qualified success.

The city's tourist organizations, closely tracking hotel reservations, reported there have been no major cancellations in January, typically Paris' slowest month for tourism. "Today, we are not at all in a state of panic, things are back to normal," François Navarro, chief of the Comité Régional du Tourisme Paris Ile-de-France told The Wall Street Journal. "Of course we have to be attentive to the situation, but right now the message is: There is no change."

Hotel occupancy declined 3 percent to 4 percent during in the five days following the shootings that left 20 dead, compared to the previous year, and occupancy rates fell 15 percent to 18 percent the following week, in which a wave of anti-French protest occurred in North Africa and the Middle East, the market research organization MKG Group reported.

Over 30 million people visit Paris annually, and tourism accounts for about 10 percent of its economy. Increased security is evident throughout Paris. Armed police, wearing bulletproof vests, are patrolling popular tourist areas, and bags are examined before tourists enter the Louvre, the area around the Arc de Triomphe and large department stores.

The Paris Convention and Visitors Bureau noted on its website that "the government reacted immediately" to the terrorism incidents, and "all places, in particular tourist attractions requiring extra vigilance," were included in deployment of additional police, adding, "The city of Paris is working more actively than ever for the security of Parisians and visitors."