BRUSSELS: Foreign tourists are shunning France in the wake of terrorist attacks, with hotel occupancy rates in the capital halved compared to last year.
The tourism industry, crucial for the French economy, has slumped amid security concerns since 130 people were killed in Paris in November. Visitor numbers have dwindled further after 85 people were killed in Nice last month.
In response, the government has launched a plan to promote France as a a safe destination with tour operators and travel journalists
Paris hotels had an occupancy rate of only 32 per cent in the second half of July, compared to 77 per cent last year.
Hotels in Nice suffered a 45 per cent fall in revenue in the two weeks after the July 14 attack on the seafront Promenade des Anglais.
The number of visitors to Belgium fell after terrorist attacks in Brussels killed 32 people in March, but guided tours of Molenbeek, the rundown district notorious as a jihadist hub, have increased 10-fold after the attacks.