War in the Middle East: Tourist attendance drops of around 2 to 4% noted in Paris in March and April

The decrease is noticeable “especially on flights,” explains Thomas Deschamps, director of the Paris je t’aime observatory, on Monday on franceinfo. The capital, however, still attracts a clientele “from nearby, who can come by train.”

Thomas Deschamps, director of the Paris je t’aime observatory and the Paris tourism office, stated on Monday, April 27 on franceinfo that he has observed “decreases in the range of 2 to 4% in tourist attendance in Paris” in March and April, due to the conflicts in the Middle East and the Middle East. The decrease is noticeable “especially on flights”, he says, while acknowledging: “Fortunately, we have a clientele mix that comes from all over the world,” he adds that Paris also attracts a clientele “from nearby, who can come by train.”

The decrease in the number of tourists from the Middle East is “around 5 to 6% for now”. Thomas Deschamps specifies that “this is a clientele that represents 3% of Paris’s clientele mix, so it has a fairly limited impact.” According to him, this is a “highly contributing clientele in terms of tourism. They avoided the Olympics in 2024, they had returned in 2025. Traditionally, they come quite strongly towards the end of Ramadan. This time, it was slightly complicated by the crisis and the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.”

“Surprisingly, for now, in the reservations we have for the Asian clientele, we have not recorded a decrease, but rather increases,” notes Thomas Deschamps. “Either it is related to anticipation, or there are already bypasses in place to avoid the hubs of the Near and Middle East.”

He also notes “increases in German, Austrian, Swiss clientele” at the European level and highlights “a significant eventful news: we have heard about the famous concerts of Celine Dion, but we also have Bad Bunny, Aya Nakamura… People will come.” He mentions a 10% increase in attendance the day before the Paris Marathon, which took place in mid-April.