Most European tour operators with stops in France said their itineraries were not affected by the protests.
Violent protests in Paris and several other French cities following the police shooting of a teenager are becoming a concern for the world's tourism industry. According to CNN 's travel advisory, the protests are taking place outside the Periphique ring road, a road that circles the central districts of Paris and is home to most of the major tourist attractions, such as the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower. Police are also being called in to maintain order in other major tourist cities, such as Marseille and Bordeaux in the south.
In Vietnam, many travel companies operating European tours with stops in France said that most tours will go through or fly directly to Paris and a few will go to the South of France to combine with tours to Spain and Portugal. Currently, according to VnExpress , no unit has postponed or canceled tours due to protests.
The Champs-Elysees avenue in Paris on July 2, a day after protesters took to the streets and clashed with police over the death of a 17-year-old boy. Photo AFP .
Nguyen Huu Cuong, General Director of Trang An International Tourism Company, said that in July, the company had 18 European tour groups and about 70% of the tours had stops in France. On July 3, the company had a group in Paris and would leave for Switzerland. They have not received any negative information from the groups related to the protests.
"I don't say it's 100% safe, but major attractions in Paris like the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre are strictly controlled by the government," said Mr. Cuong, adding that the company still has a plan in case of an emergency.
The company will change its destination if the situation in France becomes more tense. If the entry point is Paris, the company also plans to move customers to another country immediately. Mr. Cuong said the company will continuously update its partners in the host country to avoid areas with violence that could endanger customers.
BenThanh Tourist also said that tours with stops in Paris are going ahead as planned. A representative of a travel agency emphasized that the protests are not happening across France but are causing negative sentiment among tour buyers. The company will always update information and make adjustments if incidents occur.
Nguyen Anh Lukas, a photographer in Paris, also said that the downtown area was not affected by the protests, but mainly the suburbs. Public transportation may be disrupted in some suburbs. Tourists should avoid renting a house too far from the center to avoid being affected if buses and trains are disrupted.
Rue de Sentier (2nd district, Paris) on the afternoon of July 3. Photo: Nguyen Anh Lukas
The photographer added that on the evening of July 1, he still went to take photos for customers from 6pm to 9pm in Paris and returned home as usual. On the afternoon of July 3 (Vietnam time), he was also at work and did not see anything unusual.
Nguyen Van Thanh, a tour guide who was leading tourists on a tour of Europe from June 29 to July 9, also confirmed the same thing. Thanh said that during his stay in Paris (June 30 to July 2), his company in Vietnam frequently asked him about the situation at the destination. However, the group did not encounter any problems and still completed the sightseeing spots as originally scheduled.
He assessed that security forces were operating as usual, mainly to control pickpockets and did not see the appearance of riot squads.
CNN said tourists should still be careful because it is unclear how long the protests will continue and what measures the government will take to restore order. The foreign ministries of some countries such as the UK and the US have warned their citizens traveling to France at this time to be cautious, avoid crowded places and areas under police operations. Tourists should travel to France through a tour company and follow the safety warnings of the government, and should buy insurance to prepare for the worst. However, no travel bans have been issued.
Tu Nguyen
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