Sektor ng turismo ng France, apektado na ng kaguluhan
AFP Days of violent protests in the wake of the police killing of a 17-year-old have begun to take a toll on France's tourism sector
Nagsimula nang makaapekto sa sektor ng turismo ng bansa ang mga araw ng marahas na protesta sa buong France matapos ang insidente ng pamamaril ng pulisya sa isang teenager, kung saan ang mga hotel at restaurant ay nahaharap sa mga kanselasyon habang ang ilan ay dumanas din ng pinsala dahil sa kaguluhan.
Sinabi ni chef Thierry Marx, presidente ng main association for hotel and catering industry employers, “Since the death of 17-year-old Nahel during a traffic stop in a Paris suburb on Tuesday, ‘our hotel members have suffered a wave of cancellations of reservations’ in all the territories affected by the damage and clashes.”
Ayon kay Marx, “I was receiving daily alerts from industry professionals who have suffered attacks, looting and destruction of their businesses, including some restaurants and cafes. Our establishments are intrinsically hospitality venues, and sometimes even refuges and places of help in crisis situations. They must not suffer the consequences of anger that they have not aroused and we condemn these actions.”
Nais ni Marx na gawin ng mga awtoridad ang “lahat” para magarantiyan ang kaligtasan ng mga tao sa industriya ng hotel at catering sa pinakasikat na destinasyon ng turista sa mundo.
Ayon sa managing director na si Jacques Creyssel, nananawagan din ang French retail federation (FCD) para sa reinforced police security sa paligid ng mga tindahan.
Aniya, “The riots ‘gave rise to real scenes of looting,’ with more than a hundred medium and large food or non-food stores vandalised, looted or even burned. These incidents ‘are extremely serious and have an extremely heavy cost’ so I asked the economy, interior and trade ministers to act.”
Tiniyak ng Paris Ile-de-France Chamber of Commerce na pakikilusin ang kanilang grupo upang “magbigay ng kinakailangang suporta at teknikal na tulong, lalo na sa mga tuntunin ng patuloy na operasyon, bayad sa insurance, at iba pa…” para sa mga mangangalakal at mga tagapamahala ng mga apektadong kumpanya.
Ikinalungkot naman ng organisasyon ng GHR para sa mga independiyenteng hotel at restaurant sa France, “na ang mga dayuhang TV networks ay nagsimula nang magpakita ng mga larawan ng Paris na hindi naman tumutugma sa katotohanan.”
Tanong ng managing director na si Franck Trouet, “Will the violence and riots continue and cause a real wave of cancellations? That’s the risk.”
Babala pa ni Trouet, “Asian tourists, in particular, who are very concerned about security, may not hesitate to postpone or cancel their trip.’
Sinabi naman ni Didier Arino, managing director ng Protourisme firm, “Tourists who know us well, like the Belgians or the British, who also have problems themselves in their suburbs, will be able to make sense of things. But in the end, it’s as if we were doing a negative publicity campaign worth several tens of millions of euros for destination France.”
Ang kumpederasyon ng mga magta-tabako ay nagalit din sa “nakawan at pag-ransack ng mga tindahan, kabilang dito ang 91 tindahan ng tabako,” sa mga huling araw ng kaguluhan.
Ayon kay Jean-Francois Rial, presidente ng Paris Tourist Office, “If it continues like this, it can significantly complicate the organisation of the Olympic Games, especially since a good part of the events will take place in Seine-Saint-Denis, a disadvantaged area in the north of Paris.”
