Parisian business owners and hotel managers were promised a summer like no other. With the Games officially over, the time has come to run the numbers. Tom Denaive, who runs a jewelry store near Olympic venues, said the season was dramatic. Streets were closed, and even the Louvre Museum saw a drop in visits.
Disappointment was also felt steps away on rue Saint-Honoré. Marina Orlando, store manager at Diptyque, reported a decrease in sales. Tourists did come to Paris in large numbers, but shopping was not their priority. Most visitors were struggling to get to shops due to security measures.
Patrick Aboukrat, representing shopkeepers in Marais, described the Olympics as catastrophic for sales. Many merchants lost a significant portion of their turnover. Financial compensation requests are being handled by a commission, but Jean-Marc Banquet d’Orx believes investments made in the city will benefit everyone in the long run.