French Government Allocates €3 Billion to Culture Amid Tourism Decline

Following terrorist attacks in Paris (November 2015) and Nice (July 2016), France has seen a significant drop in international tourism. Data from the French tourism board, reported by the BBC, shows Paris lost one million visitors between January and June 2016 compared to the same period in 2015. International arrivals fell by 11.5%, with Japanese visitors nearly halved and Russian arrivals down by a third. Hotel occupancy in Île-de-France dropped 8.5%, and the sector lost €750 million over twelve months. The Louvre saw a 30% decline in visitors in the two weeks after the Bataclan attack compared to 2014, while the Centre Pompidou sold exactly half the tickets. In response, the French government is treating the crisis like a natural disaster. Culture Minister Audrey Azoulay announced a 6.6% increase in state investment in public museums for 2017, reaching €2.9 billion. Current and extraordinary spending will rise by 5%, with a focus on security, while acquisition funds increase by 12%. The measures also apply to regional museums. Azoulay acknowledged the challenges museums face from falling visitor numbers and rising security costs. The article contrasts this with Italy, which Eurostat data shows spent only 1.4% of GDP on culture in 2014, below the EU average of 2.1% and France's 2.5%.