The number of nights spent in Paris hotels hit a record in 2011, the Paris Convention and Visitors Bureau said on Monday, with a big jump in visits from China.

"/> The number of nights spent in Paris hotels hit a record in 2011, the Paris Convention and Visitors Bureau said on Monday, with a big jump in visits from China.

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PARIS

Paris hotels post record year for reservations

The number of nights spent in Paris hotels hit a record in 2011, the Paris Convention and Visitors Bureau said on Monday, with a big jump in visits from China.

Published: 21 February 2012 09:19 CET
Paris hotels post record year for reservations
Taber Andrew Bain

In total, visitors spent 36.9 million nights in the French capital last year, a 3.1 percent increase from 2010.

Business visitors and tourists from new markets contributed significantly to the success, the office said.

Average occupancy rates in Paris reached 79.5 percent, up 2.3 percent from 2010, and average income per room, a key industry benchmark, rose 10.3 percent to 126.6 euros, it said.

French visitors accounted for 37 percent of hotel nights in 2011, but the bureau forecast that visits from nationals would drop in 2012 due to the poor economic outlook for France.

International visitors were mostly from the United States (3.6 million nights), Britain (2.4 million) and Italy (1.8 million).

Nights spent in Parisian hotels last year by Chinese visitors jumped by 21.6 percent to 407,000. The increase over two years was 63 percent, the office said.

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PARIS

Fluffy nuisance: Outcry as Paris sends Invalides rabbits into exile

Efforts to relocate wild rabbits that are a common sight on the lawns of the historic Invalides memorial complex have provoked criticism from animal rights groups.

Published: 14 February 2024 13:01 CET
Fluffy nuisance: Outcry as Paris sends Invalides rabbits into exile

Tourists and Parisians have long been accustomed to the sight of wild rabbits frolicking around the lawns of Les Invalides, one of the French capital’s great landmarks.

But efforts are underway to relocate the fluffy animals, accused of damaging the gardens and drains around the giant edifice that houses Napoleon’s tomb, authorities said.

Police said that several dozen bunnies had been captured since late January and relocated to the private estate of Breau in the Seine-et-Marne region outside Paris, a move that has prompted an outcry from animal rights activists.

“Two operations have taken place since 25 January,” the police prefecture told AFP.

“Twenty-four healthy rabbits were captured on each occasion and released after vaccination” in Seine-et-Marne, the prefecture said.

Six more operations are scheduled to take place in the coming weeks.

Around 300 wild rabbits live around Les Invalides, according to estimates.

“The overpopulation on the site is leading to deteriorating living conditions and health risks,” the prefecture said.

Authorities estimate the cost of restoring the site, which has been damaged by the proliferation of underground galleries and the deterioration of gardens, pipes and flora, at €366,000.

Animal rights groups denounced the operation.

The Paris Animaux Zoopolis group said the rabbits were being subjected to “intense stress” or could be killed “under the guise of relocation”.

“A number of rabbits will die during capture and potentially during transport,” said the group, accusing authorities of being “opaque” about their methods.

The animal rights group also noted that Breau was home to the headquarters of the Seine-et-Marne hunting federation.

The police prefecture insisted that the animals would not be hunted.

In 2021, authorities classified the rabbits living in Paris as a nuisance but the order was reversed following an outcry from animal groups who have been pushing for a peaceful cohabitation with the animals.

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