COVID-19 | French tourism seeks new boost with Disneyland reopening
France started gradually reopening its economy last month after a COVID-19-induced lockdown. Monuments and museums, including major sites like the Louvre and Versailles, are open, as well as hotels, cafes and restaurants. Tourists will still have to wait for the Eiffel Tower, set to reopen on July 16 after major renovation work.
France's tourism sector is taking a further step toward normality with the reopening of Disneyland Paris, two weeks after the country reopened its borders to vaccinated visitors from across the world. Europe’s most frequented theme park in Marne-la-Vallee, east of the French capital, opened its doors on June 17 after nearly eight months of closure. (Image: AP)
A crowd of smiling visitors was welcomed by Disney characters dancing to the sound of joyful music. Visitors must wear masks inside the park and other measures are in place, including a cap on visitor numbers to ensure social distancing. (Image: AP)
Pauline Baudouin, a Disney fan from Angouleme in western France, said: "We were missing the magic, because it was already a complicated period and we needed to recharge our batteries in this magical world.” (Image: AP)
Prime Minister Jean Castex said on June 16 that France is returning to “a form of normal life again,” as he announced that people won’t have to wear masks outdoors any more, except in crowded places. The government confirmed children can remove masks in school playgrounds — yet they remain compulsory in class for those aged 6 and above. The 11 pm to 6 am curfew will be lifted on June 20. (Image: AP)
On June 17, Health Minister Olivier Veran said nightclubs will be able to reopen in July under strict regulations — a first since France's initial lockdown in March last year. (Image: AP)
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The French tourism industry hopes to rebound over the summer as the country welcomes foreign visitors again — on condition they have received one of the four EU-approved vaccines. Travellers are banned from 16 countries, including India, South Africa and Brazil, which are wrestling with virus surges and worrisome variants. (Image: AP)
France started gradually reopening its economy last month. Monuments and museums, including major sites like the Louvre and Versailles, are open, as well as hotels, cafes and restaurants. Tourists will still have to wait for the Eiffel Tower, set to reopen on July 16 after major renovation work. (Image: AP)
The government said the easing of restrictions is due to a drop in daily infections and to a vaccination campaign that has seen more than 59 percent of France’s adult population receive at least one shot. The country opened this week vaccination to those aged 12 to 18. (Image: AP)
