Paris attacks

On the past 13 of November 2015, there were terrorist attacks in the french capital, Paris. It happened during the night, there were gunmen and suicide bombers, they hit a concert hall, a stadium, restaurants and bars almost simultaneously. There were 129 deaths and hundreds more were wounded. President Hollande described this as an "act of war" organised by the Islamic State (IS) militant group.

It was to expect that these attacks would drag down tourism. Luxury hotels are down by 50%, and overall hotel bookings are down 30%, there have been all kinds of cancellations since the attacks. Paris almost lives on the tourism, it is a very big part of the income of most Parisians. Although the hotels are working with a lot of security and the claims are that Paris is now very safe, people are not that confident about it.

In time.com they describe how Paris felt like after the attacks: «As of Friday morning, almost a week after the attacks, the newly built Christmas markets on the Champs-Élysées stood empty, with only a few stalls open. No children rode the giant slide; the carousel lay shuttered and locked. A few brave families braved a fine rain to sample French sausages and cheeses at one of the few open booths. Brasseries and cafes began to fill up by week’s end on the Left Bank, which has been less effected by the attacks, but most restaurants stood virtually empty throughout the Right Bank. Online, hotel prices tumbled from more than $700 for a hotel room at the W L’Opera or the Westin Place Vendôme to less than $450. Impromptu sales also began popping up at the shopping mecca in Châtelet Les Halles.»

Do these attacks mean it is less safe to travel? A lot of people thought it wasn't a good idea to go to Paris after the attacks, but maybe now everything has passed, the world is going back to normal.