Paris hotel prices rise due to room shortages
Prices in Paris hotels rose 6% in 2011 compared to the previous year. According to the Paris office of tourism and congresses, this is due to the shortage of seats in hotels in the French capital.
Usually, the cost of accommodation in Paris hotels grows by 2-3% per year, that is, the increase in prices corresponds to the level of inflation. However, the flow of tourists to Paris has been steadily increasing since 2003. American tourists, who were missed in the French capital because of the difficult relationship with the United States after the war in Iraq, were replaced by tourists from Russia, Brazil, Spain and Mexico. “Despite the crisis of 2007-09 and financial instability last year, the flow of tourists to Paris did not fall, but grew,” said Paul Rohl, director of the city’s tourism and congress office. According to him, only Russian tourists in 2011 arrived by 10-15% more than in 2010.
However, due to the constant increase in the number of guests in Paris, the shortage of hotel seats is becoming increasingly noticeable. Since 1990, the number of tourists in Paris has increased by 30-40%. But the number of hotel rooms in the same period grew by only 12%, said Paul Rohl. According to him, the average occupancy of hotels in the French capital is 80%. And although there are very few days when all hotels are 100% full in a year, still the lack of rooms begins to slow down the growth of tourist flow. Paris.
Also, the tourist business notes a clear smoothing frequency: only the second half of January, August and December remain low seasons. Also, there are usually fewer visitors on Sundays, which is due in part to the fact that shops are closed.
The tourism industry employs 158,000 Parisians. And the city itself annually receives more than 14 million foreign visitors.
Source: http://www.travel.ru/news/2012/02/20/198399.html