THE LAST TIME I SAW PARIS – AT 12:51 P.M. ET:  It wasn't a city under siege.  But today Paris, because of terrorism, is gaining a reputation as a dangerous place.  Yesterday, an Islamist terrorist was shot dead trying to grab a gun from a police officer.   From London's Express: 

The latest incident could not have come at a worse time for tourism chiefs still reeling from the impact of the attacks on the Bataclan theatre in Paris and in Nice.

They will be worried that even more visitors will be scared off from booking Easter breaks in Paris.

However, they will be delighted that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge posed for heart-warming pictures at the Eiffel Tower before travelling to the Stade de France to watch Wales take on France in the Six Nations rugby match yesterday.

The message the royal couple sent to potential visitors hours after yet more violence on the streets was unmistakable – don’t give in to the terrorists and don’t be put off visiting one of the greatest countries on earth.

It won’t take long for France’s tourism chiefs to see if that powerful message got through as they constantly check the all-important visitor numbers to assess the cost of terror on the economy.

A recent report said that terror attacks, strikes and floods cost the Paris region tourism industry £644 million in the first six months or so of last year.

As the region gets 13 per cent of its gross domestic product from tourism the huge losses are having an effect on people’s lives and lifestyles.

Last year an estimated 85 million people visited France, generating seven per cent of the country’s GDP, but the country needs millions more to boost a flagging economy.

COMMENT:  That's a good message for those, like Field Marshal Obama, who keep telling us that terrorism is exaggerated.  The purpose of terrorism is to terrorize, and that's exactly what has happened in France, which has been hit many times.  There's no indication that Paris has seen the last of it.  In fact, the threat seems to be growing.  It has a devastating effect...the spreading of fear.

March 19, 2017