Tourism in Europe rebounds

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Europe

After a string of terrorist attack, tourists are now coming in droves to Europe this summer.

Even the hardest-hit cities like Brussels and Paris are reporting a surging number of visitors.

CGTN’s Kevin Ozebek reports, tourists don’t have security concerns on their minds. They are snapping selfies－trying to get the perfect picture in the Grand Place of Brussels.

A tourist stands in front of Paris landmark, the Arc de Triomphe on the Champs Elysees Avenue, France, August 3, 2017. /Reuters Photo‍

It’s again jam packed with tourists, despite this city being the scene of a terrorist attack last year that killed 32 people. The Brussels Hotel Association said last month 71% of hotel rooms in the city were booked.

Last July, in the wake of the terrorist attack, the hotel occupancy rate was just 57%.

Despite the fact of Paris seeing a string of terrorist attack over the past two years, tourists now strut the Champs Elysees next to armed police, but they don’t seem to mind.

For the first quarter of this year, France has seen the number of travelers jump to a new high record of 20%.

People enjoy a natural swimming pool in the rio vecchio close to Vivario on July 29, 2017 on the French Mediterranean island of Corsica. /AFP Photo

“The public has become used to them. That means that tourists have been going ahead organizing trips to cities across Europe, and especially to Paris,” Nicolas Lefebvre, director of Paris Tourism Office said.

The same story occurred along the southern sunny beaches of the French Riviera. Nice, the fifth most popular city in France, suffered through an attack last summer that killed 86 people.

This summer, police and their machine guns will patrol the beachfront boulevard as they’re watching over a growing number of tourists. It’s those security measures that some tourists said makes them feel at ease.

Although, others said they came to Europe already with zero security concerns.