Drop in visitors to Eiffel Tower after Paris attacks

Major tourist attraction sees fall-off in visitor numbers since November.

The Eiffel Tower in Paris saw a sharp drop in visitors in the weeks after the deadly 13 November terrorist attacks in the French capital, according to the operators of the major tourist destination.

Before the Islamic militant attacks, which left 130 dead, the historic landmark had been on course to register an all-time record for visitor numbers.

The Société d’Exploitation de la tour Eiffel (SETE), which manages the tower, recorded 6.91 million visitors in 2015, down from 7.1 million the previous year.

Following the terror attacks, the Eiffel Tower closed completely for two days before reopening partially over the next two days. It was subsequently illuminated in the colours of the French flag in solidarity with the victims of the gunmen and suicide bombers but SETE said it took about two weeks before the normal visitor flow began to gradually resume.

The 324m-high wrought iron tower was built in 1889 for the Exposition Universelle and today 80 per cent of its visitors are foreign tourists, coming mainly from the US and Canada, followed by Britain, Spain and Italy.