The Eiffel Tower, in financial difficulties due to the health crisis, registered in October the level of visits prior to the pandemic and resumed the painting works that should be completed by the 2024 Olympic Games.
The Iron Lady, which reopened its doors in July after nine months of closure, had a good month of October thanks to a real return of tourism in the capital, said the company that operates it, Sete.
The introduction of a health passport did not stop this increase. The Eiffel Tower proposed antigen tests for visitors without such a pass, a move that will end on Sunday after 14,000 tests since July.
During the boreal summer, more than 13,000 people visited this symbol of Paris every day, against the 25,000 on average before the pandemic, that is, the goal set if the limited capacity of 50% in elevators is taken into account.
The number of tourists increased to more than 20,000 during the weekends of October, that is, better than in 2019 for those days, said Sete, who observes a return of citizens of neighboring countries and the United States.
This monument, for a fee, closed its doors between March and June 2020 and, again, from October to July 2021 due to confinements. For this year, the company foresees 75 million euros (86.6 million dollars) of losses.
In 2020, it had a deficit of 52 million euros ($ 60 million). The company, which has a loan from the State and a recapitalization from the Paris Mayor’s Office, is now negotiating with the government, he assured.
Suspended since early February due to the presence of traces of lead above the permitted threshold, the ongoing paint project was resumed on October 11 with a new protocol, according to Sete.
This twentieth campaign of painting the icon of the Universal Exhibition of 1889 should allow it to recover a golden color, facing the celebration of the Olympic Games in the French capital in 2024.