France's premier Tuesday urged tourists to come to Paris, spend money and enjoy the capital's cultural attractions to help boost the city in the wake of deadly jihadist attacks. "Come to Paris, security conditions are assured," Prime Minister Manuel Valls said on French radio, in what he described as a "message to all those tourists who cancelled their trip to Paris in recent days".
"Consume, it's a festive time, spend, live, go back to shows, to the cinema and theatre," he added on Europe 1 radio. An estimate for the economic impact of the November 13 jihadist attacks on Paris nightspots, including the Bataclan concert hall, restaurants and cafes, has yet to be made.
But hotels and eateries, especially in Paris, have complained of a marked fall in customers after the attacks and voiced concern over the impact for their traditionally busy Christmas and New Year periods. Cafes and restaurants have seen an around 40-percent drop in footfall compared to the same period in 2014, according to the UMIH hotel union. An initial evaluation by a government treasury body in the economy ministry has said the attacks could lead to a 0.1-point drop in gross domestic product in the coming months, amounting to two billion euros ($2.12 billion).
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