November 13 was the first anniversary of the Paris terror attacks that killed 130 people—and France's tourism industry is still struggling to recover.
After a promising start to the year, incoming flights to the country dropped a little over 1% in the second quarter, while flights to Paris were down about 4%. Though final figures for the third quarter aren't available yet, analysts estimate that the Bastille Day attacks in Nice only worsened the situation. They expect a significant decline in the number of Americans visiting France during the holiday season as well.
But French tourism officials are optimistic about the prospect of a rebound in 2017. They point to a number of upcoming hotel openings in Paris and new museums and cultural events throughout the country.
While the numbers are down in Paris and Nice, cities such as Lyon, Marseille, and Bordeaux—where the wine shrine Cité du Vin opened this year—have actually experienced increases in tourism recently.
