Landmark in Paris to reopen after monthlong closure

AFP

As the summer vacation is approaching, tourism industry in Paris is waking up.

Workers are preparing the Eiffel Tower for reopening next week, after the coronavirus pandemic led to the iconic Paris landmark’s longest closure since World War II.

But the 324-meter tall wrought-iron tower won’t immediately welcome visitors the way it did before the country went into lockdown in March.

Limited numbers of people will be allowed in when the Eiffel Tower opens again on June 25. Elevators to the top will be out of service, at least at first, and only the first and second floors will be accessible to the public.

“At first, only visits by the stairs will be available,” said Victoria Klahr, the spokeswoman for the tower’s management.

Everyone over 11 years old will be required to wear face masks, and crowd control measures will be in place.

“We are optimistic that visitor numbers will pick up, even if it will likely be local tourists who visit the monument in the first weeks,” Klahr said.

The tower's director also said that he hopes access will be back to normal by August.

Tourists planning trips to the City of Light are advised to book tickets to visit the Eiffel Tower online once the ticket office reopens on Thursday.

The Pompidou Center in Paris, home to Europe's biggest collection of modern art, will reopen on July 1 with debates about racial discrimination and a major show called “Global(e) Resistance.”

The museum said on Wednesday that its summer programme will be focused on the global south, with its flagship show opening at the end of the month featuring artists from Africa, the Middle East, Asia and Latin America.

With the Black Lives Matter movement shaking many corners of the globe, the museum said a series of debates involving artists and academics will begin the very next day “to cast light on the burning issue of discrimination.”

The Grand Palais exhibition hall will also reopen on July 1, with the Louvre - the world's most visited museum - ending its coronavirus closure on July 6.

The Musee d'Orsay will be the first of the “Big Four” Paris museums to reopen on Monday, but only to a limited number of visitors.

Paris tourism officials have expressed muted optimism about the city’s reemergence as a travel destination. Since confinement measures were imposed in March, tourism levels have dropped by around 80 percent compared to the same month in previous years, they say.

“To visit Paris now is quite exceptional, as we of course don’t have many visitors and we don’t expect this summer to be at the same level as previous ones,” said Corinne Menegaux, the director of Paris’s businesses and tourism office.