French tourism gets boost with reopening of Disneyland Paris

PARIS (AP) — The French tourist industry received a further boost Wednesday with the partial reopening of Disneyland Paris and the opening up of the top floor of the Eiffel Tower.

Disneyland Paris, Europe’s most frequented theme park resort, is partially re-opening to the public, four months after it closed as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

The park in Marne-la-Vallee, to the east of the French capital, is opening its doors in a phased way starting Wednesday with Disneyland Parks and the Walt Disney Studios.

It will feature enhanced safety measures including managed attendance, reduced capacity to support social distancing, and bolstered cleaning and disinfection of rides and spaces.

Also Wednesday the top floor of Paris’ Eiffel Tower re-opened. The 19th century iron monument, one of the French capital’s most visited attractions, partially re-opened its first two floors on June 26 following its longest closure since World War II.

Eiffel Tower officials have said a maximum of 250 people will now be allowed at the top floor at a time to enjoy the panoramic views of the City of Light.

Tourism officials say that Paris brings in over 30 million tourists a year and in 2018, France recorded nearly 90 million overnight arrivals from visitors and tourists, making it one of the most visited countries in the world.