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Olympics, Paralympics were a success for Paris but a calamity for some of its businesses

Many in the city’s service industry say they had one of their worst-ever summers, mainly because of security restrictions at Olympic venues

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While the Paris Olympics and Paralympics saw high numbers of visitors, they were restricted in their movements by heavy security at some places. Photo: AFP

Parisian business owners and hotel managers were promised a summer like no other: millions of tourists would flood the French capital for the Olympic and Paralympic Games, generating huge profits for Paris and its region.

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With the Games officially over, the time has come to run the numbers. And many in the Paris service industry say they had one of their worst summers ever – notably because of security restrictions around city-centre Olympic venues.

Tom Denaive, who runs a family jewellery store ideally located between the Louvre Museum and Place de la Concorde – which hosted multiple Olympic events – said the season was nothing short of “dramatic”.

In mid-June, the city closed the nearest metro station, then access to the scenic Tuileries Garden. And a week before the opening ceremony on the River Seine, the nearby rue de Rivoli, a major pedestrian and commercial artery, was shut down.

“It was a dead street,” Denaive said. “I felt like we were back to the Covid-19 days.”

Security officers stand at the security perimeter of a closed street at the Paris Olympics. Photo: AP
Security officers stand at the security perimeter of a closed street at the Paris Olympics. Photo: AP

Disappointment was also felt a few steps away on rue Saint-Honoré, home to some of Paris’ most prestigious hotels and finest haute couture shops.

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