The Eiffel Tower, located in the capital city of Paris, was closed for 5 days due to a strike. An agreement was reached with the unions, and it was announced that it would reopen to visitors as of Sunday.
This agreement ended the 2nd strike within 2 months at the Eiffel Tower, one of the most visited tourist attractions in the world. The operating contractor of the tower, SETE (The Société d’Exploitation de la Tour Eiffel), announced on Saturday that they had reached an agreement with the unions to establish “a body that will meet every six months to regularly monitor the company’s business model, investments, and revenues.”
According to the announcement, it was stated that both parties agreed to implement an investment plan of approximately 380 million euros by 2031 for the construction and maintenance of the tower to balance the operating budget by 2025. Additionally, SETE issued an apology message to tourists and locals for the approximately 100,000 visitors lost during the strike.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, the Eiffel Tower incurred losses of around 120 million euros in 2020 and 2021. SETE provided a recapitalization of 60 million euros during this period. However, the unions claim that it is not sufficient for comprehensive maintenance, including repainting the tower. Despite sharp declines in visitor numbers due to closures and travel restrictions, there were 5.9 million visitors in 2022 and 6.3 million visitors last year.
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Photo by Anthony DELANOIX on Unsplash