Tourist visits to Paris have taken a dramatic slump in the aftermath of terrorist attacks that wreaked havoc on the French capital less than two weeks ago, the Associated Press noted.
Vendors around Paris' Eiffel Tower say the swarm of tourists that normally surround the plaza at the tower's base have given way to an unusual calm.
"It's been so calm since the attacks. There's hardly anyone at all," Kamel Bougrab, who sells sandwiches across the street from the iconic monument, told the news agency.
Lines outside the Louvre Museum, home of Leonardo da Vinci's "Mona Lisa," were also shorter. The Louvre said the Education Ministry cancelled school visits to the museum since the city is now on "attack alert" status.
"For me it's good because I didn't have to wait too long," Guatemalan tourist Eric Velasquez told the AP during a visit to the Louvre.
"I don't think tourists should stray away," he continued. "I watched the response from the government and it was very fast, very good.
"It feels safe," Velasquez said.
More than 10,000 troops were deployed across France after the deadly attacks left 17 people dead the week before last, beginning Jan. 7 with a massacre at satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo. At least 6,000 troops were stationed in and around the capital, the AP reported.
An unnamed Eiffel Tower spokeswoman said so far the monument has not seen a drop in sightseers since the attacks. However, official statistics have not been recorded yet, she told the AP.
The Louvre also noted that tourism in general slows down this time of year due to families returning home after the holidays.
"This is a slow season anyway, so it's hard to distinguish what's causing the dip, that (it's January) or the attacks," the museum said.
