Riots unnerve France’s US$80 billion tourism sector: ‘it’s catastrophic’

The images of France’s riots posted and broadcast around the world have cast a pall on the country’s important tourism sector, with many fearing worse consequences if violence returns.

“The surge of violence in the centres of Nice, Paris, Lyon – it’s catastrophic,” said Christelle Cassagne, head of the ADN Tourisme body covering the country’s tourism institutions.

“When you book a hotel for a week, it’s not so you stay stuck in the hotel,” she said.

The scenes of clashes with police, public buildings on fire, shops being looted and masked young men roaming the streets have, since last weekend, shocked and fascinated news audiences internationally.