PHOTO: Nice, France. (photo courtesy of Thinkstock)
Tourism is a large part of the French economy - according to an article in Reuters, it accounts for 7 to 8 percent of the country's revenue. However, the attack in Nice has dealt a fresh blow to an industry that was just beginning to recover from the recent terror attacks in Paris.
"France has been projecting very violent images to the outside world for 18 months now," Vanguelis Panayotis, managing director of the MKG tourism consultancy, told Reuters.
Panayotis is predicting that the impact, especially in Nice, will be large, noting in the article that there could be up to a 30 percent decline in visitor numbers to France in the coming months.
READ MORE: France Calls Up 12,000 More Reserves After Nice Attack
Businesses in Nice are feeling the pinch. Hotelier Joanna Marat, who owns the Hotel Cronstadt, told Reuters that some guests left after the attack and that she had a pessimistic outlook for the rest of the summer.
"I was planning to take more people on to help in August but now I said to them that there will be no jobs," she said.
While France's tourism economy will take a hit, it's harder to gauge the impact of the attacks on the greater economy. Experts noted that much will depend on France's image over the coming months. Find out how that image is being shaped here.
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