Ticket holders will be refunded, the operator said.
Paris:
France’s famous Eiffel Tower was closed for a fifth day on Friday as workers went on strike against the monument’s managers, unions said.
The shutdown at one of the world’s most famous tourist attractions is the second in two months in protest at what unions say is insufficient investment.
SETE, the tower’s operator, advises ticket holders to check its website before showing up, or postpone their visit.
Ticket holders will be refunded, the operator said.
Unions criticized SETE’s business model for being based on exaggerated estimates of future visitor numbers while underestimating repair and maintenance costs.
Unions complain that the city charges too high a lease fee to the Eiffel Tower operator, depriving it of funds for necessary maintenance work.
SETE said new measures to address these issues will include increasing ticket prices by 20%.
Adults who want to take the cable car to the top now cost €29.40 ($31). Those who agree to take the stairs can pay a little less.
The operator also said the budget for maintenance works will more than double.
While employees mainly complained about the tower’s management, the company also promised to sign an agreement within two weeks on staff’s “employment conditions and wages.”
Culture Minister Rachida Dati also proposed on Thursday that the Eiffel Tower be classified as a “historic monument” so that the state can help fund projects if needed.
“The Eiffel Tower does not have enough protection,” she said on X (formerly Twitter).
The Eiffel Tower suffered a shortfall of approximately 120 million euros ($130 million) during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021.
Its operator has since been offered a €60 million recapitalization, but unions said that was not enough given the need for major maintenance work including a new paint job.
Visitor numbers to the Eiffel Tower dropped sharply during the coronavirus pandemic due to closures and travel restrictions, but recovered to 5.9 million in 2022 and 6.3 million last year.
This masterpiece designed by architect Gustave Eiffel has been repainted numerous times since it was built for the 1889 World’s Fair.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
